BLM Miles City Field Office Coal Leasing RMP
Current understanding
The BLM Miles City Field Office Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment (finalized in the prior administration) closed approximately 1.75 million acres of federal land in eastern Montana to future coal leasing consideration on climate and land-use grounds. Public Law 119-48 (enacted 2025) used the Congressional Review Act to nullify that RMP amendment, reopening those acres to potential coal leasing under prior planning frameworks. Practical effects include restored eligibility for lease applications in the Powder River Basin’s Montana portion; downstream leasing volumes will depend on separate BLM leasing decisions, market demand for thermal coal, and any successor planning efforts.
Evidence log
- 2025-12-11 — 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”.: cross-connection with blm-buffalo-coal-leasing-rmp: Parallel CRA/administrative reversals of the two major Powder River Basin RMP amendments (Buffalo, WY and Miles City, MT) that had closed the basin to new federal coal leasing. (novelty: 3)
Open questions
Related
Contributing findings
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".
11-dec-2025
novelty 3
per-area 3
introduces