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Federal Coal Leases Fast Tracked in North Dakota

By Bill Dubensky Sep 2, 2025 | 6:09 AM

The Freedom Mine near Beulah. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)

 

(North Dakota Monitor) – Companies seeking to mine coal on federal land in North Dakota are gaining traction under Trump administration policies, with some environmental groups saying changes to the lease process skirt the law.

The Bureau of Land Management is holding a lease sale Wednesday for land at the Freedom Mine north of Beulah.

The Coteau Properties Co. has applied to lease approximately 1,070 acres containing an estimated 18.3 million tons of recoverable federal coal. If approved, the lease would allow continued operations at the Freedom Mine through 2045.

Freedom Mine feeds the Antelope Valley Station power plant and Great Plains Synfuels Plant that are nearby and the Leland Olds Station power plant near Stanton. All are owned by Basin Electric Power Cooperative.

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