EARA

This bill speeds up appeals of certain decisions made by the Department of the Interior. If you appeal to the Interior Board of Land Appeals, you can ask for a faster review. Once you ask, the board must issue a final decision within six months of your request—but not sooner than 18 months after you first filed the appeal. If the board misses that deadline, you can take the case to court, and the judge will look at it fresh, without giving extra weight to Interior’s decision. This applies to appeals already pending when the law takes effect and to new appeals filed after that date. It also sets one clear timeline even if other laws have different deadlines.

Key points:

• Who is affected: People, tribes, and companies appealing Interior decisions about public lands and natural resources.
• What changes: You can request a faster appeal; the board has six months from your request to decide, but not before 18 months from the original filing. If they miss it, you can go to court for a fresh review.
• When: Applies to appeals already pending on the effective date and to future appeals; its deadline overrides conflicting timelines in certain oil, gas, and mining laws.