Governor Gordon Responds to Supreme Court Decision on Coal Port

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon put out a response to a decision by the United States Supreme Court to not hear a challenge on opening a coal port in Washington state.

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Gordon said:

“This case was never about a single permit or product. It was about the ability of one state to engage in lawful interstate commerce without the interference of another state. Today it is coal, tomorrow it could be agricultural products or any of our state's abundant natural resources. At some point the Supreme Court is going to need to take on this matter...I remain committed to continuing our efforts to export clean coal to assist countries in meeting their energy needs and climate goals.”

The case involved a decision not to create a coal terminal in Washington meant to ship coal from Wyoming and Montana to Asian countries.

Attempts to get the terminal built started back in 2012, and, after failing to meet proper environmental guidelines, has been stuck in limbo ever since.

Montana and Wyoming joined with Millennium, the company trying to build the port, in their suite against the state in 2019, as they felt Washington was trying to suppress the coal industry by preventing the terminal from being built.

Millennium, and its parent company Lighthouse Resources Inc., filed for bankruptcy in December of 2020, causing them to drop out of the case.

This made it difficult for the two states to have standing in the Supreme Court, which most likely contributed to the case being denied, however, according to the Supreme Court's website, Justice Alito and Thomas would have granted the motion.