By Maya Earls

October 16, 2020 -  The Department of Energy’s National Coal Council operates in secret in violation of federal law and only serves to advance the goals of the coal industry, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in a Montana federal court.

The council’s actions violate the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which requires committees that advise the government to operate in the open and with public input, the Western Organization of Resource Councils says. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana.

WORC is an association of community groups, including Oregon Rural Action and Western Colorado Alliance.