Associated Press. (2022, August 12). Judge Revives Obama-Era Ban on Coal Sales from Federal Lands. U.S. News. Retrieved August 12, 2022, from https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/montana/articles/2022-08-12/judge-revives-obama-era-ban-on-coal-sales-from-federal-lands.   

A federal U.S. District Court Judge named Brian Morris brought back an old coal management review from the Obama Administration Era in August of 2022. This suspension more specifically requires all coal transactions that occur from federal lands to go through a lengthy environmental review process. This process necessarily regulates coal production as, “some 260 million tons,” are mined from federal lands and then distributed to privately run businesses to be burned and used, further contributing to the greenhouse gas emission crisis. 

As we enter a more climate conscious world, the urgency for immediate federal intervention and regulation towards any coal driven industry is more than ever. This new revival gives us hope that our elected officials still uphold the morals that they were elected to represent, even if that means favoring a less financially lucrative decision. Coal production is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gasses, making it one of the most dangerous and prevalent contributing factors to climate change. Even Though commitments such as the one U.S. District Judge Brian Morris is tough financially speaking, it is crucial to enact in order to move forward with cleaner forms of energy, rather than coal, that can improve our current climate.