trump coal lease sale montana penny ton.

Federal officials have rejected a company’s bid to acquire 167 million tons of coal on public lands in Montana for less than a penny per ton. It would have been the biggest U.S. government coal sale in more than a decade. The failed bid underscores a continued low appetite for coal among electric utilities that are turning to cheaper natural gas and renewables such as wind and solar. President Donald Trump has made reviving coal a centerpiece of his agenda to increase U.S. energy production. But economists say Trump’s attempts to boost coal are unlikely to reverse its yearslong decline.