Five years after energy analysts called it a "house of cards" built on a dying industry, Navajo Transitional Energy Co. is advancing major coal projects across Wyoming and Montana that could extend operations well into the next decade.

The Bureau of Land Management recently announced it is "advancing a key coal project in Wyoming's Powder River Basin that could unlock access to more than 440 million tons of federal coal."

The West Antelope III lease-by-application covers about 3,500 acres adjacent to NTEC's existing Antelope Mine in Campbell and Converse counties, the third-largest open-pit coal mine in the United States.

"The additional reserves increase Antelope Mine's total tons available for extraction," Lauren Burgess, NTEC spokesperson, told Cowboy State Daily in response to quest

See Full Page