Senate Passes Congressional Review Act Resolution to Reopen Montana’s Powder River Basin to New Coal Leasing

The U.S. Senate today passed S.J. Res. 61, a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that will rescind a 2024 resource management plan ending new coal leasing in Montana’s Powder River Basin. The resolution, which narrowly passed by a vote of 52 to 47, not only will undo the plan to end new coal leasing in a portion of the nation’s largest coal producing region, but it will also upend the public lands management system as we know it. Eighteen organizations sent a letter to members of Congress opposing the CRA resolution before its passage. A companion resolution, H.J. Res. 104, passed in the House in early September.

The Trump administration is also in the process of reopening the Powder River Basin to new coal leasing. The Bureau of Land Management recently concluded a scoping period for amendments to the resource management plans for the Buffalo Field Office (Wyoming) and the Miles City Field Office (Montana) — the plans that closed the region to new leasing in 2024. The agency anticipates reaching a decision in the amendment processes in late 2025 or early 2026. Passage of the CRA resolution will short-circuit this process for the Miles City RMP.

Earthjustice supporters have strongly opposed both the CRA resolution and the administration’s efforts to reopen the Powder River Basin to new coal mining. Approximately 45,000 letters were sent to members of Congress opposing the CRA resolution and over 20,000 supporters sent letters to the Department of the Interior during its recent scoping period.

“It is shameful that our members of Congress have opted to reverse years of public engagement and scientific review to do the coal industry’s bidding,” said Jenny Harbine, managing attorney for Earthjustice’s Northern Rockies Office. “Not only will passing this CRA and reopening the Powder River Basin to new coal leasing harm communities, our lands, and our waters, it will have catastrophic consequences for public land management moving forward. The Trump administration and its allies in Congress continue to sell out the American people and turn over our national public lands to industry. We will continue to fight every attempt to turn back the clock and mine more coal.”