Senate Republicans from fossil-heavy Wyoming on Thursday introduced legislation at the height of “coal week” to codify President Donald Trump’s orders aimed at reviving the sagging industry.
Sens. Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso introduced the “Combating Obstruction Against Leasing (COAL) Act of 2025,” which would make permanent an executive order Trump signed in April and require the Interior Department to issue final lease approvals without delay. Republican Rep. Harriett Hageman of Wyoming is pushing a companion bill.
Under the proposal, Interior also would be required to complete all steps needed to approve leases, finalize fair market valuations of coal tracts, publish environmental assessments and implement regulations for all pending applications.
The bill would permanently scrap an Obama-era order that halted coal leasing while the government considered the climate and economic effects of digging up fossil fuels.
