![Coal Groups Invite Secretary Jewell to Hearings in Montana, Accuse DOI of “Stacking Comments” Against Coal](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2015/03/494291543.jpg?w=630&h=420&zc=1&s=0&a=t&q=89&w=980&q=75)
Coal Groups Invite Secretary Jewell to Hearings in Montana, Accuse DOI of “Stacking Comments” Against Coal
This week, Department of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell held the first of six meetings to discuss the fate of coal-leasing in the U.S. Shelby DeMars from the pro-coal advocacy group Count on Coal Montana, says the six meetings should be expanded to include places like Montana where coal is actually mined.
"The only [hearing] that's in coal country is in Wyomign," DeMars said. "Then all of the rest of them are, oddly enough, placed in locations like Seattle, which have a strong agenda in trying to shut down Montana coal. It seems like Secretary Jewell has an agenda to stack the comments against Montana coal, which is very disappointing."
DeMars says the final decisions about coal will have a big impact on Montana.
"Montana receives over 15 million dollars biannually in royalty tax revenue, just from federal coal, in addition to income and property taxes all related to that production," DeMars said. "The bottom line here is that coal belongs to all Montanans, and producing it benefits everyone in the state."
At the beginning of May, Secretary Jewell was in Montana, along with Senator Jon Tester. Many Montana officials invited Jewell to visit the coal operation in Coalstrip, but she declined.
The full list of dates and locations for the DOI hearings is below:
May 17, 2016 Casper Events Center
1 Events Center Drive
Casper, WY 82601
May 19, 2016 Salt Palace Convention Center
100 West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
May 26, 2016 Tennessee Theatre
604 S. Gay St.
Knoxville, TN 37902
June 16, 2016 Pittsburgh Convention Center
1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
June, 2016 Seattle
To be announced
June 23, 2016 Two Rivers Convention Center's Avalon Theatre
645 Main St.
Grand Junction, CO 81501
More From Newstalk KGVO 1290 AM & 98.3 FM
![Federal Judge: BLM Ignores Environment in Coal Region Plan](http://townsquare.media/site/101/files/2021/02/A-175-car-coal-train-moves-from-the-Decker-coal-mine-in-Montana.-William-Campbell_Sygma-via-Getty-Images.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Will Montana’s Power Grid Stand Up Against the Cold Snap?](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2022/02/attachment-NorthWestern-Energy-generation-sources.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Crow Tribal Leader Sends Message to Washington State](http://townsquare.media/site/125/files/2018/08/081718-CJ-Stewart-on-Capitol-Hill.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![WA Coal Port Case Will Move Forward Despite Governor’s Objection](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2017/06/Coal-George-Frey-Getty-Images.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Montana AG Fox Argues for Coal Port in Washington State, Files Brief in Court](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2016/07/Tim-Fox-2014.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Daines Promotes Coal as Part of ‘All of the Above’ Energy Plan](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2018/01/Steve-Daines.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![LISTEN – Clean And Affordable Energy Conference In Missoula](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2016/05/Energy-Gail-Gutsche.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Senator Steve Daines on Montana Energy and Washington State Attack on Colstrip](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2016/04/Steve-Daines.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Lawsuit Seeks to Void Montana Coal Lease](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2015/04/83802994.jpg?w=980&q=75)