U.S. officials are set to hold the biggest coal sales in over a decade, offering 600 million tons from publicly owned reserves in Montana and Wyoming. Despite declining demand, the Trump administration pushes to expand coal mines, raising questions about who will buy the coal in an ever-shifting political landscape.

Rushing to approve projects, officials in the Powder River Basin will proceed with lease sales despite the government shutdown. Trump’s actions could give a short-term bump to coal, but experts doubt coal will dominate the power sector again. Interior Department officials did not address future demand for coal from public lands.

Navajo Transitional Energy Co., one of the largest industry players, requested the upcoming coal sales in Montana and Wyoming. With 21 power plants scheduled to stop burning coal in the next decade, the fair market value of federal coal near the Spring Creek mine is significantly lower than in the past, reflecting the declining coal market.

The largest U.S. coal company, Peabody Energy, offers an optimistic view on coal’s future, suggesting a potential increase in demand for coal in the U.S. But with most existing plants aging and money pledged to refurbish them limited, questions remain about who will buy the coal and how the coal market will evolve.

Read more at Yahoo Finance: Trump is reviving large sales of coal from public lands. Will anyone want it?