WASHINGTON: The US Interior Department has approved a plan by Signal Peak Energy to expand coal mining, providing exports for Japan and South Korea, according to the agency last Friday, as it responded to President Donald Trump’s energy-emergency directives.

The approval authorises the Montana-based coal company to recover 22.8 million tonnes of federal coal and 34.5 million tonnes of adjacent non-federal coal and extend the life of the Bull Mountains mine by nine years.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who is also co-chair of Trump’s Energy Dominance Council, said unlocking more federal coal enables the United States to bolster ties with allies abroad.

“President Trump’s leadership in declaring a national energy emergency is allowing us to act decisively, cut bureaucratic delays and secure America’s future through energy independence and strategic exports,” he said.

On Jan 20, Trump declared an energy emergency to speed permitting, roll back environmental protections and withdraw the US from an international pact to fight climate change.

The Interior Department completed the environmental impact statement for the mine expansion according to its new policy to speed such reviews to a maximum of 28 days.

Burgum last week joined Energy secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in Alaska to promote a liquefied natural gas project, as well as other energy exports destined for Asian markets.

Furthermore, the Bull Mountains mine in Montana, located in Musselshell and Yellowstone counties, employs over 250 workers and primarily supplies Japan and South Korea.

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