Energy Department Coal Council Revamp Prompts Group to Drop Suit

The Department of Energy’s move to re-establish a coal advisory committee that it says will be “well-balanced” and “diverse” prompted an organization of western community groups to drop their federal lawsuit in Montana.

The Western Organization of Resource Councils originally challenged the department’s National Coal Council, saying it operated in secret and advanced the goals of the coal industry.

The council’s actions violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the group told the US District Court for the District of Montana. The law mandates that committees advising the government operate in the open and with public input, the lawsuit said.

The ...