Salazar opens 750 million tons of Wyoming coal to mining

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is making a vast amount of coal available for mining in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, saying the substance will remain an important source of the nation's energy supply.

The coal leases Salazar announced Tuesday in Cheyenne amount to 750 million tons and will take several years to mine.

Wyoming officials have butted heads with the Interior Department about long delays in selling federal coal reserves adjacent to Powder River Basin coal mines.

Some environmental groups are opposed to offering more coal leases because of the greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal for power.

Salazar didn't diminish the importance of nuclear energy during the nuclear crisis in Japan. He says lessons will be learned but the Obama administration's view of nuclear energy remains unchanged.