Who it affects
- Bureau of Land Management
- Companies seeking coal leases in eastern Montana
Became lawOverturns a ruleEnergyPublic lands
Coal leasing on eastern Montana lands
H.J.Res. 104 · Resolution · Introduced July 10, 2025
This bill would let coal companies lease certain federal land in eastern Montana by canceling a Bureau of Land Management rule.
At a glance
Where it stands
Passed the House 211 to 208 on Sept. 4.
Passed the Senate 52 to 47 on Oct. 8.
How South Carolina voted
Lobbying and money
9 groups lobbied on it: advocacy group or nonprofit, trade group.
Top link: Nfib (National Federation of Independent Business) lobbied on it and gave $0 via PACs; $5,000 via lobbyists; $0 via employees to 3 SC members.
See who gave to whom ↓What it would do
- The bill would open certain federal land in eastern Montana to coal leasing.
- It would cancel a Bureau of Land Management rule covering its Miles City office's land-use plan.
- The agency approved the plan change on November 20, 2024.
- That change made no land available for coal leasing and excluded 1,745,040 acres from further leasing consideration.
- The plan change aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Written with AI from the official summary by Congress's research office.
How South Carolina voted
House vote coverage is incomplete for 2025–2026. Vote and flagged-bill counts reflect imported records only; missing votes don't mean a member didn't vote.
House vote
Vote to pass
Sept. 4, 2025 · Passed 211 to 208
- Republicans
- 211 yes
- 1 no
- Democrats
- 0 yes
- 207 no
Senate vote
Vote to pass
Oct. 8, 2025 · Passed 52 to 47
- Republicans
- 53 yes
- 0 no
- Democrats
- 0 yes
- 45 no
- Independents
- 0 yes
- 2 no
Other votes on this bill (1)
Senate · Vote to start debate · Oct. 7, 2025 · Approved
Graham: Yes · Scott: Yes
Official vote ↗
Groups that lobbied on it and gave to SC's members
PAC, lobbyist campaign and qualifying employee money this election, shown separately and never added together. Lobbying reports name the bills a group worked on, not which side it took.
| Group | What it is | Gave SC members | Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nfib (National Federation of Independent Business) | Trade group | Lobbyists: $5,000 | 3 |
See all groups, by member
Members without a final recorded vote are grayed out and excluded from totals. Events and honors are not campaign money and aren't included. Matches use exact organization names.
| Organization | Darline GrahamNo vote | Lindsey GrahamYes | Tim ScottYes | Jim ClyburnNo | Joe WilsonYes | Nancy MaceYes | Ralph NormanYes | Russell FryYes | Sheri BiggsYes | William TimmonsYes | Members |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nfib (National Federation of Independent Business) | – | Lobbyists: $3,000 | – | – | – | – | – | Lobbyists: $1,000 | Lobbyists: $1,000 | – | 3 |
Official record
Official title, sponsor and status
- Official title
- 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".
- Sponsor
- Rep. Downing, Troy (R-MT)
- Introduced
- July 10, 2025
- Cosponsors
- 1
- Committees
- House Natural Resources Committee
- Latest action
- Dec. 11, 2025 · Became Public Law No: 119-48.
Official summary from the Congressional Research Service
This joint resolution opens certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in eastern Montana to coal leasing. Specifically, it nullifies the rule issued by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) relating to the Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment for the Miles City Field Office in Montana. The BLM approved the RMP Amendment on November 20, 2024. The RMP Amendment made no acres available for coal leasing and 1,745,040 acres unavailable for further consideration for coal leasing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Summary on Congress.gov ↗Everyone who lobbied on this bill (9 groups)
26 reports. Fees cover each report's whole lobbying effort, not just this bill.
Businesses and trade groups (2)
- Nfib (National Federation of Independent Business) ↗1 report
- National Mining Association ↗Mining · 4 reports
Labor unions (0)
None.
Advocacy groups and nonprofits (7)
- Americans for Prosperity ↗4 reports
- League of Conservation Voters ↗2 reports
- Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership ↗6 reports
- Trout Unlimited ↗2 reports
- Defenders of Wildlife ↗2 reports
- Earthjustice Action ↗1 report
- the Conservation Alliance ↗4 reports
Not classified (0)
None.
Lobbying firms (9)
- Nfib (National Federation of Independent Business) ↗1 report
- National Mining Association ↗Mining · 4 reports
- Americans for Prosperity ↗4 reports
- League of Conservation Voters ↗2 reports
- Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership ↗6 reports
- Trout Unlimited ↗2 reports
- Defenders of Wildlife ↗2 reports
- Earthjustice Action ↗1 report
- High Street Strategies Llc ↗Lobbying firms · 4 reports
We sorted these groups by name and industry. The labels are ours, not legal categories.