Sponsors (6)
The bill creates a transparent, DOE-linked coal advisory council that brings industry expertise into policy decisions but risks entrenching coal influence and diverting focus from clean-energy priorities.
Utilities, coal companies, and DOE technical staff will have a standing advisory body of coal-industry and expert stakeholders that formally informs DOE energy policy and reviews coal-related technical issues.
Federal employees and the public gain greater transparency and public access because the council is rechartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, requiring open meetings, records, and public participation compared with an entirely private group.
Coal companies, utilities, and the public face persistent industry influence because exempting the FACA termination provision lets the council continue indefinitely without periodic sunsetting or reassessment.
Clean-energy industries, climate-affected communities, and the broader public may see federal attention and resources stay tilted toward coal because reestablishing a coal-focused advisory council signals continued federal support for coal, potentially diverting focus from clean energy priorities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Reestablishes the National Coal Council (NCC) within the Department of Energy and directs the Secretary of Energy to set it up consistent with the charter that was in effect on November 19, 2021. Makes the NCC subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and the open-meetings provisions of 5 U.S.C. §552b(c), but excludes the FACA automatic termination provision so the council does not automatically expire. The bill does not authorize new funding, change tax or budget policy, or create new program spending; it only restores the advisory body and specifies the legal rules that will govern its operation and transparency requirements under federal advisory committee law.
Introduced April 24, 2025 by Michael A. Rulli · Last progress September 19, 2025