Coal Lease Bonus Installments

Summary#

This bill would change the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 201(a)). It adds a rule about bonus payments for certain coal leases that use a system of deferred bonus payment. Under the change, those bonus payments must be paid in 10 equal annual installments. The first installment must be submitted with the bid for the lease. The bill was introduced in the Senate on April 28, 2026, by Senators John Barrasso, Cynthia Lummis, Mike Lee, and Tim Sheehy and was referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

What it means for you#

• If you bid on a coal lease covered by this rule and the lease uses deferred bonus payments, you must include one-tenth of the bonus with your bid.
• The remaining nine equal payments are due once each year for nine years after the first payment.
• The rule applies only to leases issued under the specified subsection of the Mineral Leasing Act that use a deferred bonus payment system.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on budget impacts or government cost estimates is included in the bill text or provided metadata.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information on supporters' arguments or stated reasons beyond the bill text and sponsor list.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information on opponents' arguments or stated concerns in the provided material.