Montana’s largest coal mine, Spring Creek Mine near Decker, is poised for expansion, potentially boosting coal production by 19 million tons. The federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has released an environmental impact statement (EIS), enabling an expansion first sought nearly 20 years ago by the mine’s owners.
Pending approval by the U.S. Interior Department’s assistant secretary for Land and Minerals Management, the Navajo Transitional Energy Company could secure access to a one-to-two-year supply of federally owned coal. The 237-page EIS concludes a lengthy lawsuit filed by WildEarth Guardians and Montana Environmental Information Center, which argued in 2017 that federal authorities did not adequately assess the climate and air quality impacts of the expansion.
Coal burning is a major contributor to Montana’s greenhouse gas emissions, though emissions have declined as investors focus on alternative energy sources. The Spring Creek Mine, producing 10 to 15 million tons annually, employs around 265 people and remains a key coal supplier both domestically and internationally, despite decreasing domestic coal demand.
The EIS released by the Interior Department supports a more modest 90-acre expansion, compared to the 1,100-acre expansion initially proposed by Spring Creek Coal, LLC, which aimed to access 270 million tons of coal. This expansion plan, favored by federal regulators, would result in about 29 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the emissions from 1.2 million gasoline cars over five years.
Shiloh Hernandez of the environmental groups said the EIS is “well overdue” for the mine, which has been operating since the 1970s. Spring Creek is Montana’s largest coal mine and the eighth-largest in the U.S., producing over 12 million tons of coal in 2023. The Navajo Transitional Energy Company did not respond to requests for comment on the recent developments.
—
Read More Montana News
