Conclude the coal leasing review and restart the federal coal program

Done

Printed page 523 16. Department of the Interior

“Conclude the programmatic review of the coal leasing program, and work with the congressional delegations and governors of Wyoming and Montana to restart the program immediately.”

What has happened

Oct 2, 2025 Done
Implementing §50203, Interior made about 13,103,000 acres of federal mineral estate available for coal leasing. Competitive lease sales had already resumed: the Little Eccles tract in Utah (notice 2025-09-10) and the Spring Creek Mine lease-by-application in Big Horn County, Montana (notice 2025-09-15). The moratorium is gone and leasing is under way.
- Interior notice: Implementing Section 50203 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (13.1 million acres made available for coal leasing)
  Primary Executive branch Oct 2, 2025
- BLM notice: Notice of Federal Competitive Coal Lease Sale, Little Eccles Tract, Utah
  Primary Executive branch Sep 10, 2025
- BLM notice: Lease for Sale, Navajo Transitional Energy Company, Spring Creek Mine Federal Coal Lease-by-Application MTM 105485-01, Big Horn County, MT
  Primary Executive branch Sep 15, 2025
Jul 4, 2025 Partially done
Public Law 119-21 §§50201–50204 requires Interior to act on every pending coal lease application within 90 days, cuts the royalty rate, and directs that at least 4 million additional acres of federal mineral estate be made available for coal leasing.
- Public Law 119-21 — An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14 (§§50201–50204, coal leasing)
  Primary Congress Jul 4, 2025
Apr 15, 2025 Partially done
BLM rescinded the notice of intent and terminated the environmental impact statement on maintaining Secretary Jewell's 2016 coal leasing moratorium — the programmatic review the Mandate asked to be concluded is closed.
- BLM notice: Rescission and Termination of the Environmental Impact Statement Analyzing the Potential Environmental Effects From Maintaining Secretary Jewell's Coal Leasing Moratorium
  Primary Executive branch Apr 15, 2025
Apr 8, 2025 Attempted
Executive Order 14261 (Reinvigorating America's Beautiful Clean Coal Industry) directed Interior to prioritize and expedite coal leasing on public lands with coal resources; the same day Interior announced it would 'officially end its moratorium on federal coal leasing' and pursue amendments to the Buffalo (Wyoming) and Miles City (Montana) resource management plans.
- Executive Order 14261 — Reinvigorating America's Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 14241
  Primary Executive branch Apr 8, 2025
- The Department of the Interior Moves to Restore Coal Industry (press release announcing the end of the coal leasing moratorium)
  Primary Executive branch Apr 8, 2025

Research log

What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence

Research notes

The federal records we keep and search list further 2025–2026 lease-by-application notices (Falkirk and Freedom mines, ND; Warrior Met, AL; West Antelope, WY; Ramaco, WV) that were not opened; they corroborate the restart but were not needed for the Status.
The Buffalo and Miles City RMP amendments announced on 2025-04-08 were not traced to a record of decision on an allowlisted page.

Action: restore
Object: Federal coal leasing program
ID: 1470