Halt ordered in Watt plan to lease coal lands. . . while Reagan dispels talk of a Watt resignation
| Washington
President Reagan told aides Wednesday he considers the controversy surrounding Interior Secretary James Watt closed and he does not anticipate Mr. Watt offering his resignation. Watt, the most controversial of the President's Cabinet members, last week said a panel examining his department's coal leasing policies was composed of ''a black, a woman, two Jews, and a cripple,'' touching off renewed calls for his resignation, including many from congressmen.