Freedom Mine Wants More Coal – Gov Seeks Your Hot Takes
Published Date: 4/2/2025
Notice
Summary
The government is reviewing a plan to expand coal mining at Freedom Mine in Mercer County, ND, and wants your thoughts! They’ve released a draft report about the environmental impact, fair coal prices, and how to get the most coal out safely. You can join a public hearing on April 24, 2025, or send comments by May 2, 2025, to help shape the future of this mining project.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
Federal coal lease could underlie your land
The proposed federal coal lease and mining-plan modifications cover federal tracts that underlie private surface, totaling about 1,342.18 acres for NDM-111186 and 640 acres for NDM-091535. The Federal tracts contain approximately 24 million tons of minable coal over roughly 1,350 acres that could be mined through 2045.
You can comment and attend public hearing
You can review the draft environmental assessment and related documents on the BLM ePlanning website, attend a public hearing on April 24, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. CT in Beulah, ND, and send written comments through the website by May 2, 2025 to be considered for the final report.
How your comments and data will be handled
If you submit proprietary information, you must mark it confidential and mail it to the BLM Montana/Dakotas State Office to request confidentiality; otherwise, comments (except proprietary portions that meet FOIA exemptions) will be available for public inspection during regular business hours. Your personal identifying information included in comments may be made publicly available.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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