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US expedites permit for proposed Tennessee coal mining

The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it had approved a coal mine proposal in Claiborne County Tennessee under a process expedited to speed up federal environmental reviews for energy projects.

The Department of the Interior announced in a press release that it had granted Hurricane Creek Mining LLC approval to mine coal at Bryson mountain, located in Claiborne County Tennessee. The agency stated that the mine would produce up to 1 million tons of coal in the next decade. The site has been mined in various periods between 1950 and 2010.

The rush permit aligns with the goal of President Donald Trump to increase coal mines as part his energy dominance agenda.

Although the project is located on private property, it must still be approved by Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

Hurricane Creek Mining was not available for immediate comment.

Interior announced in April that it would implement a process of emergency permits for energy and mining project approvals, which typically takes months or even years.

This week, the department has taken another step to support coal. Interior's Bureau of Land Management announced on Monday that it will be taking public comments on the opening of coal leasing in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming. The public can comment on the opening of lands that were off-limits for leasing by former president Joe Biden until August 7. Reporting by Nichola groom, Editing by Chizu nomiyama and Daniel Wallis

(source: Reuters)