Sponsors (5)
The bill speeds approvals and restores leasing certainty for the coal industry—potentially providing local economic benefits—while increasing pollution and greenhouse-gas emissions, weakening public and tribal review protections, shifting local costs to communities, and creating legal uncertainty for the federal government.
Utilities and energy companies (and coal lease applicants) will get faster approvals and restored federal leasing certainty, allowing mining to begin sooner and potentially creating local jobs and economic activity in coal-producing areas.
Federal program managers, local governments, and applicants will benefit from clearer administrative timelines and reduced regulatory constraints, lowering permitting uncertainty and speeding decision-making.
Nearby rural and tribal residents will face increased air and water pollution because accelerated approvals and expanded coal extraction are likely to raise local mining activity and associated contaminants.
Taxpayers and communities will see higher greenhouse gas emissions and a slower transition away from coal because enabling more federal coal leasing facilitates additional coal combustion.
Tribal communities and other local stakeholders will have reduced opportunities for meaningful participation and procedural protections because shortened NEPA timelines and removal of Order 3338 undermine review and consultation safeguards.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Requires the Interior Secretary to promptly finish NEPA and administrative steps to grant pending federal coal leases and voids a 2016 Secretarial Order.
Introduced January 9, 2025 by Harriet Hageman · Last progress January 9, 2025
Requires the Interior Secretary to quickly finish environmental and administrative steps so pending federal coal lease applications are issued and previously awarded coal leases can begin mining, and cancels a prior Interior Department order that limited aspects of the federal coal leasing program. Actions must be taken “as soon as practicable” after the law takes effect and the named Secretarial Order is declared void on enactment.