Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7872

Coal Mining: New Payment Plan for Federal Leases

To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to provide for the payment of bonus payments of certain coal leases issued under that Act.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Rep. Hageman introduced a bill to change how coal companies pay the federal government for the right to mine on public land. These costs, known as "bonus payments," are the prices companies bid to win a lease.
Under this plan, companies would pay their bid amount in 10 equal parts over 10 years. The very first payment would be due at the same time the company submits its bid for the land.
This policy aims to help coal businesses by letting them keep more cash on hand while they get their mining operations started. It moves away from requiring large, immediate payments that can be hard for companies to afford upfront.
This change mostly affects mining companies operating in states with lots of federal land, such as Wyoming and Montana. By making the payments more manageable, the bill could lead to more companies bidding on federal coal projects.

2 milestones2 actions

Mar 9, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Mar 9, 2026

Introduced in House

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to provide for the payment of bonus payments of certain coal leases issued under that Act.

Bill NumberHR 7872

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

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