COAL Act

Subjects: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:  <p><strong>Combating Obstruction Against Leasing Act or the COAL Act</strong></p> <p>This bill requires the Department of the Interior to take specified actions with respect to qualified coal leasing applications.</p> <p>Specifically, Interior must, with respect to</p> <ul> <li> each qualified application, promptly 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; and </li> <li>previously awarded coal leases, grant any additional approvals of Interior, or any bureau, agency, or division of Interior, required for mining activities to commence.</li> </ul> <p>The bill provides that, notwithstanding any judicial decision to the contrary or a departmental review of the federal coal leasing program, Secretarial Order 3338 (which directs the Bureau of Land Management to analyze and consider potential leasing and management reforms to the program), issued by Interior on January 15, 2016, shall have no force or effect.</p>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1457 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1457

 To require the Secretary of the Interior to take certain actions with 
respect to certain qualified coal applications, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 8, 2023

 Ms. Hageman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Secretary of the Interior to take certain actions with 
respect to certain qualified coal applications, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Combating Obstruction Against 
Leasing Act'' or the ``COAL Act''.

SEC. 2. LEASING FOR CERTAIN QUALIFIED COAL APPLICATIONS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Coal lease.--The term ``coal lease'' means a lease 
        entered into by the United States as lessor, through the Bureau 
        of Land Management, and the applicant on Bureau of Land 
        Management Form 3400-012.
            (2) Qualified application.--The term ``qualified 
        application'' means any application pending under the lease by 
        application program administered by the Bureau of Land 
        Management pursuant to the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 
        et seq.) and subpart 3425 of title 43, Code of Federal 
        Regulations (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this 
        Act), for which the environmental review process under the 
        National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
        seq.) has commenced.
    (b) Mandatory Leasing and Other Required Approvals.--As soon as 
practicable after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall promptly--
            (1) with respect to each qualified application--
                    (A) if not previously published for public comment, 
                publish a draft environmental assessment, as required 
                under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 
                U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and any applicable implementing 
                regulations;
                    (B) finalize the fair market value of the coal 
                tract for which a lease by application is pending;
                    (C) take all intermediate actions necessary to 
                grant the qualified application; and
                    (D) grant the qualified application; and
            (2) with respect to previously awarded coal leases, grant 
        any additional approvals of the Department of the Interior or 
        any bureau, agency, or division of the Department of the 
        Interior required for mining activities to commence.

SEC. 3. FUTURE COAL LEASING.

    Notwithstanding any judicial decision to the contrary or a 
departmental review of the Federal coal leasing program, Secretarial 
Order 3338, issued by the Secretary of the Interior on January 15, 
2016, shall have no force or effect.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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