BLM rejected a $186,000 bid this week for 167 million tons of coal in Big Horn County as the Trump administration and Montana’s delegation try to revive coal production in Montana and the nation.

The bid was placed by Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) who operates the Spring Creek Mine, Montana’s largest coal mine.

A Department of the Interior spokesperson told the Gazette the bid was rejected “because it didn’t meet the requirements of the Mineral Leasing Act.”

The spokesperson declined to elaborate further on what requirements specifically and referred the Gazette to NTEC. Two NTEC representatives declined to comment during the bid unsealing Monday, referring the Gazette to the company’s spokesperson.

NTEC has not responded to multiple inquiries around what could have been th

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