Interior Releases Major Update on Coal Potential Beneath Federal Lands

Cheyenne, Wyo. - The Department of the Interior today released a U.S. Geological Survey report on coal resources beneath federally managed public lands in the United States, estimating that there are 4.2 billion short tons of reported coal reserves associated with active mines and an additional 356 billion short tons of available coal resources.

If produced, that would be enough coal to supply all the nation's needs for at least 600 years at the current rate of consumption.

"American Energy Dominance is more important than ever, and so is beautiful clean coal's role in the production of electricity needed to fuel our future prosperity," saidSecretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. "Thanks to the USGS's rigorous and independent assessment, we're better equipped to manage America's vast public lands responsibly while supporting energy security and economic opportunity."

Wyoming's annual coal production is the largest in the nation, and of the 34 mines on federal land, 14 are in Wyoming, followed by Colorado with six, North Dakota and Utah with four mines each, and Alabama and Montana with three mines each. Wyoming mines contain 87 percent of the reported coal reserves associated with active mines under federal lands, and the North Antelope Rochelle Mine in the Powder River Basin south of Gillette, Wyoming is the largest-producing coal mine on federal land and contains the largest reported coal reserves in the nation and the world.

Of those mines, 29 produce thermal coal for electrical power generation, three in Alabama produce metallurgical coal for steelmaking, one, King II Mine in Colorado, produce coal for cement production, and one, Coal Hollow (Alton) Mine in Utah, is currently idled. Secretary Burgum included metallurgical coal on the 2025 List of Critical Minerals.

The public lands of the U.S. included in the report are those administered by the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy and Interior and the Tennessee Valley Authority. In 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14261 Reinvigorating America's Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 14241, which outlined the need for a report on coal resources under federal lands.

The USGS report also underlined the need for additional geologic mapping to refine resource estimates in understudied areas such as Alaska. The USGS estimates that Alaska has at least 140 billion short tons of available coal resources but may contain as much as 5.5 trillion short tons. The USGS uses short tons (2,000 pounds) in coal statistics, as do other government agencies and the U.S. energy industry.

Read Coal Beneath Federal Lands in the United States-Mines, Reserves, and Resources.