President Donald Trump’s nominee to become the nation’s top coal mining regulator told lawmakers Wednesday he was rooting for an industry comeback.
Lanny Erdos, whom Trump has tapped to oversee the Interior Department’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, told senators he hopes the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act — which lowered royalties on the mining of federal coal and encouraged new leasing — will drive new mining and demand for coal.
“I’m excited about that. I think it will actually incentivize the industry to mine more coal and more revenue for the country,” Erdos told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee at his confirmation hearing.
OSMRE oversees state coal mine regulators and administers a multibillion-dollar abandoned mine cleanup program. Erdos led the agency during Trump’s first term.
