Subcommittee Hearings Held
The bill (COAL Act of 2025) requires the Department of the Interior to promptly complete environmental assessments, finalize fair market value, take necessary intermediate actions, and grant pending Bureau of Land Management coal lease-by-application requests for which NEPA review has commenced. It also requires the Department to grant any additional approvals needed for previously awarded coal leases to begin mining.
Progressives stress climate and NEPA rollback risks
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is an administrative/operational directive that provides explicit, mandatory high-level actions for the Secretary of the Interior and references relevant statutes and regulations, but it lacks much operational detail, resourcing acknowledgement, contingency planning, and accountability mechanisms.
The bill (COAL Act of 2025) requires the Department of the Interior to promptly complete environmental assessments, finalize fair market value, take necessary intermediate actions, and grant pending Bureau of Land Management coal lease-by-application requests for which NEPA review has commenced.
It also requires the Department to grant any additional approvals needed for previously awarded coal leases to begin mining.
Finally, it nullifies Secretarial Order 3338 (January 15, 2016) so that order "shall have no force or effect."
Procedurally simple but ideologically charged; faces significant Senate and litigation hurdles despite narrow scope.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is an administrative/operational directive that provides explicit, mandatory high-level actions for the Secretary of the Interior and references relevant statutes and regulations, but it lacks much operational detail, resourcing acknowledgement, contingency planning, and accountability mechanisms.
Progressives stress climate and NEPA rollback risks
These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.
Progressives stress climate and NEPA rollback risks
This persona would likely oppose the bill because it mandates expedited coal leasing and approvals, reducing agency discretion and review.
They would view the measure as rolling back administrative safeguards and limiting environmental and climate protections.
Some impacts (emissions, local harms) are plausible but outcome sizes are uncertain.
A pragmatic centrist would see tradeoffs: the bill offers clarity and speed for existing applications but risks legal challenges and environmental consequences.
They would want assurances that legal processes (full NEPA where required) and economic valuation are robust.
Some outcomes (litigation, delayed projects) are uncertain depending on implementation.
This persona would likely support the bill as a corrective to perceived obstruction of fossil-fuel development, restoring timely leasing and approvals for coal.
They would emphasize energy independence, jobs, and limiting administrative overreach.
Possible economic impacts are generally viewed positively, though demand trends for coal are an external uncertainty.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Procedurally simple but ideologically charged; faces significant Senate and litigation hurdles despite narrow scope.
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Progressives stress climate and NEPA rollback risks
Procedurally simple but ideologically charged; faces significant Senate and litigation hurdles despite narrow scope.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is an administrative/operational directive that provides explicit, mandatory high-level actions for the Secretary of the Interior and references relevant statutes and…
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