Federal coal lease hearing

An astonishing 40 percent of all coal produced in the United States comes from public, taxpayer-owned land. For decades, the federal government has been leasing taxpayer-owned public lands to fossil fuel companies at bargain-basement rates. Taxpayer-owned land should be used to benefit the public, but the coal it generates puts billions of tons of carbon into our atmosphere, slows the growth of clean energy and economic transition, and impacts the health of communities near mines and power plants and every place in between. 

Now, for the first time in history, the government has put a stop to all new federal coal sales to study the impact coal mined on public lands has on our environment and communities -- and they want to hear from you. 

The Bureau of Land Management is holding six public hearings to hear from people across the country on this critical issue. On May 26th, they will hold a hearing in Knoxville, TN and we are organizing interested folks to attend this hearing.

We have some federal land in eastern Kentucky that the BLM has leased to coal companies to be mined, the largest leases are in Harlan and Leslie Counties. That said, the overwhelming majority of public owned land that is being leased to coal companies is in western states. Our allies working on this issue have asked that KFTC members focus our comments on the need for a moving toward a just and fair economic future. 

If you would like to attend this hearing:

Our goal is to take at least a carload of KFTC members to participate in the hearing and attend the rally and press event. If you are interested in attending please let Kevin Pentz (KFTC Canary Project Organizer) know by either emailing at [email protected], or calling or texting at 606-335-0764. Once we know who is interested in attending we will make travel arrangements.

Here are the details of the Knoxville hearing:

What: Public hearing to evaluate BLM’s coal program and its impacts on taxpayers and the environment.

Where: The Tennessee Theater located at 604 S. Gay St. Knoxville, Tennessee 37902

When: May 26, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

10 a.m. – 12 noon: at the Tennessee Theater to pack the room with supporters. Show up early to sign up and speak.

Noon: Rally and press conference at Krutch Park followed by lunch provided at the East Tennessee History Center.

These are your public lands and BLM wants to hear from you as they consider the future of the federal coal program. Please RSVP to attend the hearing today and make sure your voice is heard.

If you can't make it to one of the hearings, you can still submit comments. Written comments may be submitted until July 23, 2016, using one of the following methods:

• Email: [email protected]
• Mail: Coal Programmatic EIS Scoping, Bureau of Land Management, 20 M St. SE, Room 2134 LM, Washington, D.C. 20003