"Federal officials want to join settlement talks over an environmental group’s lawsuits on coal mining’s possible climate change effects in Western states."

"BILLINGS, Mont. — Federal officials disclosed Thursday that they want to enter settlement talks with an environmental group that sued the government over the potential climate change impacts from burning coal mined in Western states.

Government attorneys have asked judges overseeing the cases to put them on hold until April 1 while negotiations take place, according to court documents and U.S. Justice Department spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle.

The projects combined involve more than 600 million tons of coal that companies are seeking to mine in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico."

Matthew Brown reports for the Associated Press February 4, 2016. [2]