Obama-Era Moratorium on Federal Coal Leasing Axed by Appeals Court

Conservation groups have called on the Biden administration to step up and keep its election promise to protect humans from an unfavourable climate from coal.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, Calif., on June 12, 2017. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A federal appeals panel has thrown out a moratorium on new coal mine leases on public lands.

The Feb. 21 ruling by a three-judge panel from U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit overturns an August 2022 decision from Judge Brian Morris of the U.S. District of Montana, which reinstated a 2016 Obama administration moratorium.