House · HJRES 130 · 119th Congress
Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management relating to "Buffalo Field Office Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment".
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Summary
This bill cancels a 2024 federal rule that stopped new coal mining leases on public land in Wyoming's Buffalo Field Office area. Congress used its power to reject the rule and restore the older 2015 plan. This affects energy companies, coal miners, and communities in Wyoming that depend on coal production.
In Favor
The 2024 rule let a federal agency block all coal leasing on Wyoming public land without a vote from Congress. Proponents argue that restoring the 2015 plan returns to a legally approved framework, and that the court ruling does not bar leasing but only requires fuller review. Wyoming's Powder River Basin supplies roughly 40% of U.S. coal, and federal royalties from that coal fund state schools and services.
Against
A federal court ruled that reviewing climate impacts was legally required before any new coal leasing could proceed in this area. Canceling that review exposes future leases to court challenges that could halt mining entirely. Long-term leases signed without this review could lock in decades of methane and particulate emissions from extraction, burdening nearby Wyoming communities and downwind states with pollution before any legal obligation is met.
Additional Considerations
Purpose & Problem
Is the problem real and worth federal action?
This resolution cancels a 2024 Bureau of Land Management rule that stopped new coal leasing in Wyoming's Buffalo Field Office area, returning the area to its 2015 plan that allowed coal leasing.
Scope & Related Provisions
Does it stay focused, or carry unrelated add-ons?
The resolution stays on topic, addressing only the single 2024 Buffalo Field Office land management rule and directing that it have no force or effect.
Who Is Affected
Who benefits, and who bears the cost?
Coal companies seeking leases in the Buffalo Field Office area may again apply under the 2015 plan. The Bureau of Land Management must return to following that earlier plan for this area.
Cost & Funding
Is it affordable and responsibly funded?
The bill does not authorize or appropriate federal dollars. It shifts the duty to manage coal leasing back to the Bureau of Land Management under the terms of the 2015 plan, which may involve agency administrative work to implement.
Risks & Implementation
What could go wrong in practice?
The Bureau of Land Management must shift back to the 2015 plan, which a court previously found needed updates to meet federal environmental review rules, and that court requirement remains in place.
For the actual bill text, see congress.gov.
AI-generated · Published 6/5/2026