The Government Accountability Office released a report earlier this week that outlined problems in the federal coal leasing system. The report called the Bureau of Land Management’s process ‘out of date.’
GAO’s report said the BLM is inconsistent in how it determines fair market value, does not consistently document the rationale for accepting low bids and does not use extant third party review services to make sure its valuation is correct. It also said the BLM does not consider exports fully when calculating fair market value and lacks transparency about its process.
Wyoming Public Radio’s Irina Zhorov spoke with professor of law at the University of Colorado Law School, Mark Squillace. He’s been concerned for years that BLM undervalues federal coal and says the American people are missing out on a lot of revenue because of it.