Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement following Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke approval of the Greens Hollow coal lease in central Utah:

“After over a decade of bureaucratic purgatory, I’m happy to see Secretary Zinke approve this lease. This will be a vital source of employment, affordable energy and revenue to the people of central Utah and the country for decades to come, and I thank the Trump administration for doing the right thing.”

Background

Coal mining in the Greens Hollow area of Utah currently supports 1,700 jobs. It is estimated to contain more than 55 million tons of coal, which will provide energy to an estimated 11.8 million homes. The lease for this specific tract was delayed by bureaucratic red-tape for twelve years by both the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.