S. 3045 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Oct 23, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summarySpeeds up federal coal lease approvals
The bill requires the Bureau of Land Management to move forward with coal leasing applications that are currently pending. If environmental reviews have already started, the agency must finish those reviews, determine the fair price for the coal, and approve the leases. The bill also removes a previous hold on most new federal coal leases and speeds up approvals for coal mining on leases that have already been granted.
How it affects you
Coal companies with pending lease applications would see faster approval of their plans to mine federal coal lands. The short version: this doesn't directly change daily life for most Americans, but it does open the door for more coal development on federal property by removing previous delays and restrictions on the leasing process.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Oct 23, 2025)
Combating Obstruction Against Leasing Act of 2025 or the COAL Act of 2025
This bill requires the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to process certain pending applications to lease coal mineral estates owned by the federal government in order to develop coal.
If the environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 has commenced for an application, then the BLM must publish a draft environmental assessment and any applicable implementing regulations, finalize the fair market value of the coal tract for which a lease by application is pending, take all intermediate actions necessary to grant the application, and grant the application.
With respect to previously awarded coal leases, the BLM must grant any additional approvals required for mining activities to commence.
Finally, the bill nullifies the Department of the Interior's Secretarial Order 3338, which placed a hold on most new federal coal leases until the BLM completes a comprehensive review of the federal coal program.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 3045
A BILL
COAL Act of 2025
Sponsor: Sen. Cynthia M. Lummis (R-WY) · Introduced Oct 23, 2025 · Environmental Protection · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Oct 23, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.”