HJRES 104: 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 "Miles City Field Office Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment".

HJRES 104 in plain English: This joint resolution nullifies a Bureau of Land Management rule that had made 1,745,040 acres in eastern Montana unavailable for coal leasing. By overturning the BLM's Miles City Field Office Resource Management Plan Amendment, the resolution reopens that land to potential coal leasing consideration.

Stated purpose

This joint resolution disapproves and nullifies a Bureau of Land Management rule that closed over 1.7 million acres of federal land in eastern Montana to coal leasing, effectively reopening that land to consideration for coal leasing.

Key points

• Nullifies a BLM rule that closed 1,745,040 acres in eastern Montana to coal leasing
• Reverses a November 20, 2024 BLM decision that made zero acres available for new coal leasing in the area
• The original BLM rule aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by restricting coal leasing

Arguments supporters make

• Reopening this land to coal leasing supports American energy production and preserves jobs and economic opportunity for Montana communities that depend on the coal industry.
• The BLM rule was made in the final weeks of a prior administration, and Congress has the right under the Congressional Review Act to reject rules it did not approve, restoring proper democratic oversight.
• Blocking over 1.7 million acres from coal leasing without congressional input was an overly broad decision that limited the nation's ability to use its own natural resources.

Arguments opponents make

• The original BLM rule was designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reversing it pushes federal land policy away from climate commitments by reopening a vast area to fossil fuel extraction.
• Federal land managers conducted a formal planning process to produce the resource management plan, and congressional disapproval bypasses that expert, on-the-ground decision-making with a single legislative vote.
• Opening these acres to coal leasing may conflict with other uses of the land, such as ranching, wildlife habitat, and recreation, that the resource management plan was also meant to protect.

Tradeoffs

Reopening this land to coal leasing may support regional economic activity and energy production, but it removes protections that the BLM put in place specifically to limit greenhouse gas emissions; the resolution prioritizes resource development on federal land over the environmental goals the 2024 plan was designed to achieve.

Current status in Congress: Became law.

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