Sponsors (2)
The bill secures local jobs, revenue, and legal certainty by approving a specific coal lease, while increasing local pollution risks, locking in fossil-fuel emissions, limiting federal review authority, and exposing taxpayers to potential long-term remediation costs.
Residents and businesses in Musselshell County gain jobs and increased local economic activity from approved coal mining on roughly 800 acres.
Energy companies holding the lease (and related utilities) get predictable ability to extract coal and generate revenue, which stabilizes fuel supply expectations and taxable receipts tied to extraction.
Local governments and operators gain clearer federal approval and legal certainty for the specific lease area, reducing administrative uncertainty for planning, permitting, and investment decisions.
Taxpayers and the broader public face increased greenhouse gas emissions and locked-in fossil fuel development that works against national and local climate goals.
Nearby residents in Musselshell County are exposed to higher risks of air, water, and noise pollution and associated health problems from new or expanded coal mining operations.
Directing the Secretary to approve the plan "without modification or delay" constrains the Department of the Interior's ability to impose new mitigation measures or address emerging concerns during review.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs the Interior Secretary to approve a specified Bull Mountains mine plan modification and allow mining of ~800 acres of federal coal in Musselshell County, Montana within 30 days.
Official title: To allow certain Federal minerals to be mined consistent with the Bull Mountains Mining Plan Modification, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 4, 2025 by Troy Downing · Last progress February 4, 2025
Authorizes mining of roughly 800 acres of federal coal in Musselshell County, Montana, by requiring the Department of the Interior to approve a previously issued ‘‘Bull Mountains Mining Plan Modification’’ (Amendment 3 for Bull Mountains Mine No. 1) and to do so within 30 days of enactment without changes. The bill directs immediate, ministerial approval of the specific mining plan modification to allow extraction on the described Federal lease MTM 97988. The measure is narrowly focused: it compels the Interior Secretary to adopt an already‑approved mine plan modification for a specific parcel of federal land, effectively accelerating and locking in federal permission to mine that coal under the defined plan.