Published: January 19, 2026 |

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The Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) said the Warrior Met Coal Mines project is the latest mining project to complete federal permitting.

Located in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, the Warrior Met Coal Mines project supports access to metallurgical coal, a critical material used in steel production for manufacturing, infrastructure, and defense applications.

Added to FAST-41 in response to the executive order on Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production, this project received transparency dashboard status in April of 2025. Transparency status gave the Warrior Met Coal Mines project access to many of the unique benefits of FAST-41, including a dedicated Permitting Council project advisor, the development of a comprehensive permitting timetable, and active engagement and coordination across federal permitting agencies.

“I am thrilled to see the ninth mining project complete federal permitting with the assistance of FAST-41. Completing federal permitting less than a year after joining the D\dashboard is an outstanding accomplishment and a testament to this administration’s commitment to revitalizing American mining,” said Permitting Council Executive Director, Emily Domenech.

“Congratulations to the Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and Warrior Met Coal Mines for achieving this milestone,” added Domenech.

“Warrior would like to thank the Permitting Council, Bureau of Land Management and National Energy Dominance Council for the tireless effort of approving the federal coal lease by application,” said Warrior Met CEO, Walt Scheller.

“The transparency and streamlined process allowed the approval of two leases that will extend the mine life of our existing operations at Mine 4 North and our new Blue Creek Mine. This approval will ensure miners in rural Alabama high-paying jobs for the next 40 years,” added Scheller.

“I am proud to see President Trump and Secretary Burgum recognize the world class metallurgical coal deposits in Alabama,” said Senator Tommy Tuberville.

“This announcement will bring countless jobs to our state’s rural communities and greatly boost our economy. American Energy Dominance starts in the states, and Alabama’s Warrior Met Coal is doing a fantastic job of capitalizing on natural resources we have to offer. President Trump campaigned on unleashing American energy, and I am excited to see Alabama play a key role in that mission,” added Tuberville.

“I am incredibly thankful to Secretary Burgum and the Trump Administration for putting an end to the Biden Administration’s senseless, job-killing war on coal. Alabama is home to vast, high-quality metallurgical coal deposits that serve a crucial role in facilitating steel production,” said Senator Katie Britt.

“This announcement expands access to these deposits, driving job creation, stimulating the state’s economy, and bolstering our rural communities. Additionally, this lease sale highlights another key provision secured by Republicans in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to revitalize energy production by streamlining the review process for coal leases and mandating that regular sales take place. This is a huge win not only for Alabama, but for our nation as we continue to unleash American energy dominance,” added Britt.

“Today’s milestone shows what collaboration and determination can deliver for America’s energy future and communities across the country. By working closely with Warrior Met Coal and our state and federal partners, we are unlocking access to 53 million tons of world-class metallurgical coal reserves to support steel production, create good-paying jobs, and deliver fair returns for the American people,” said Acting Bureau of Land Management Director, Bill Groffy.

“This milestone reflects OSM’s diligent work to support the Department’s timely approval of federal mining plans, authorizing the production of 53 million tons of leased federal coal. These approvals provide regulatory certainty that sustains jobs in rural Alabama and supports reliable steelmaking supply chains,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management and Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Lanny E. Erdos.

Learn more about this project on the federal permitting dashboard HERE.

The Permitting Council coordinates federal environmental reviews and authorizations for projects that seek and qualify for FAST-41 coverage. FAST-41 covered projects are entitled to comprehensive permitting timetables and transparent, collaborative management of those timetables on the Federal Permitting Dashboard. FAST-41 covered projects may be in the energy production, electricity transmission, energy storage, surface transportation, aviation, ports and waterways, water resource, broadband, pipelines, manufacturing, mining, carbon capture, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and machine learning, high-performance computing and advanced computer hardware and software, quantum information science and technology, data storage and data management, and cybersecurity sectors.

Warrior Met Coal is a U.S.-based, environmentally and socially minded supplier to the global steel industry. It is dedicated entirely to mining non-thermal metallurgical (met) steelmaking coal used as a critical component of steel production by metal manufacturers in Europe, South America, and Asia. Warrior is a large-scale, low-cost producer and exporter of premium quality met coal, also known as hard-coking coal (HCC), operating highly efficient longwall operations in its underground mines based in Alabama. The HCC that Warrior produces from the Blue Creek coal seam contains very low sulfur and has strong coking properties. The premium nature of Warrior’s HCC makes it ideally suited as a base feed coal for steel makers.

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