The pollution from coal burning power plants isn’t just making our planet sick – it’s making our families sick. Nearly one-third of all U.S. carbon pollution is attributable to coal burning, and the toxins that coal burning pumps into our air and water leads to asthma attacks, heart attacks, and according to the Harvard School of Public Health nearly $100 billion in health costs annually.

It’s more critical now than ever before that we end our reliance on coal and move toward cleaner forms of energy that can create new American jobs while protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the health of our families. And that means tackling the tough, institutional problems that keep the coal industry raking in billions in profits while everyone else pays the price.

A new study identifies alarming issues with coal production on federal lands that demand immediate action. More than 40% of the coal burned in our nation's remaining coal plants is strip-mined on federal public lands in the Powder River Basin (PRB), located in northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana. The Department of Interior (DOI), through its agency the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is responsible for the sale of ...

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