The Trump administration this week approved an expansion of Montana's Bull Mountains underground coal mine, reinforcing its emergency energy directives that clear federal roadblocks for fossil fuels.

The life of the mine, which exports coal to customers in South Korea and Japan, is expected to be extended by up to nine years.

The U.S. Department of the Interior's approval allows Signal Peak Energy to extract about 57.3 million tons of coal — 22.8 million tons from federal lands and 34.5 million tons from adjacent private property near Roundup, Montana.

Nearly all the coal will be exported to Asian markets, according to a DOI statement. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum praised the Trump administration for acting decisively in the interest of the mine and the miners who work there.

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