Environmentalists sue to block coal deal in Sanpete County

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Environmentalists are suing to stop a coal deal in Sanpete County.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports (https://bit.ly/1McdNuQ) the lawsuit was filed in an attempt to block the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to lease almost 2,700 acres of land to Bowie Resource Partners, which owns the Skyline coal mine.

The company made the sole bid on the land, at $17.2 million. The land is administered by the Manti-La Sal National Forest and sits on top of 42 million tons of recoverable coal.

A court filing last week by WildEarth Guardians says the BLM used an outdated environmental review that doesn’t take current concerns like climate impacts into account.

A Forest Service review found the old analysis was enough to meet federal requirements.

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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, https://www.sltrib.com