COAL Act of 2025

This bill tells the Bureau of Land Management to move ahead with certain federal coal leasing applications that are already in the environmental review process. It requires the agency to publish any missing draft environmental assessments, set the fair market value for the coal tracts, take all steps needed, and then approve those applications. For coal leases that were already awarded, it also requires the Interior Department to issue any remaining approvals needed so mining can start. It also cancels a 2016 Interior Department order that had paused most new federal coal leasing.

Key points

• Who is affected: Coal companies with pending or previously awarded federal coal leases; Interior Department and BLM.
• What changes: BLM must quickly finish environmental steps, set fair market value, and approve qualified applications; Interior must grant any remaining approvals for existing leases; the 2016 pause on most new federal coal leasing is nullified.
• When: These actions must happen promptly after the bill becomes law.