Massive Montana Coal Mine Expansion Draws Lawsuit Over Review

A coalition of environmental groups sued the Trump administration Tuesday over its approval of a Montana coal mine expansion, arguing the Interior Department skirted the environmental review process based on a “nonexistent ‘Energy Emergency.’”

The filing challenges two parts of the President Donald Trump’s environmental agenda: his desire to promote the flagging coal sector and his attempts to short-circuit the lengthy permitting process as required under the National Environmental Policy Act.

According to the plaintiffs, Trump’s energy emergency—which was the predicate for the Interior Department to greenlight a ...