S. 3045: Combating Obstruction Against Leasing Act of 2025
This bill, known as the Combating Obstruction Against Leasing Act of 2025 (COAL Act of 2025), aims to streamline the process for leasing coal on federal lands. Here are the key components:
1. Definitions
The bill provides definitions for important terms used throughout the document:
- Coal lease: A legal agreement between the United States and an applicant that allows the applicant to mine coal from federal lands.
- Qualified application: Applications for coal leases that are already in the review process as of the date the bill is enacted.
2. Mandatory Leasing Procedures
The Secretary of the Interior is required to take certain actions regarding qualified applications, which include:
- If the application has not been made public, publish a draft environmental assessment required by law.
- Determine the fair market value of the coal for which the application is pending.
- Complete all necessary steps to approve the application.
- Grant the application once all procedures are completed.
Additionally, for any previously awarded coal leases, the Secretary must grant any necessary approvals to allow mining to start.
3. Future Coal Leasing
The bill states that a previous moratorium on federal coal leasing (referred to as Secretarial Order 3338) will no longer be in effect. This means that new coal leasing can take place regardless of that prior order, effectively removing barriers for future leases on federal lands.
Summary
Overall, this bill seeks to eliminate delays and barriers in the coal leasing process by mandating quicker approval for existing applications and lifting restrictions imposed by prior regulations.
Relevant Companies
- ARCH - Arch Resources, Inc. could be significantly impacted by the bill if it seeks new coal leases or is managing existing leases, potentially speeding up the approval process for its mining operations.
- CLF - Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., involved in steel and mining, may benefit from increased access to coal deposits on federal lands, improving its resource availability.
This is an AI-generated summary of the bill text. There may be mistakes.
Sponsors
2 bill sponsors
Actions
2 actions
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| Oct. 23, 2025 | Introduced in Senate |
| Oct. 23, 2025 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. |
Corporate Lobbying
0 companies lobbying
None found.
* Note that there can be significant delays in lobbying disclosures, and our data may be incomplete.
