S. 3079: Fairness, Accountability, and Certainty for Taxpayers in Coal Leasing Act

114th Congress · introduced 2016-06-21 · Energy · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

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Where it came from: introduced 2016-06-21 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Fairness, Accountability, and Certainty for Taxpayers in Coal Leasing Act

Plain summary

Fairness, Accountability, and Certainty for Taxpayers in Coal Leasing Act This bill establishes a deadline for the Department of the Interior to complete a comprehensive review of the federal coal leasing program.The review, in the form of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, is designed to ensure that the federal coal program is properly structured to provide a fair return to taxpayers and toreflect its impacts on the environment, while continuing to helpmeet energy needs. In addition, Interior shall reestablish the Royalty Policy Committee to ensure consultation among state, tribal, environmental, energy, and federal stakeholders.The committee must provide advice to Interior on the management of federal and Indian mineral leases and shall be composed of federal and non-federal members. The bill also requires Interior to authorize earlier emergency coal leasing than is currently authorized under federal regulations.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Fairness, Accountability, and Certainty for Taxpayers in Coal Leasing Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

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Words on this page, explained (3)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114s3079.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/s>

Record fed-us-cong114-s3079 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114