Congress moves to strip environmental review from federal oil, gas, coal leases
H.R. 676 — To exempt Federal actions related to energy and mineral activities on certain Federal lands from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. · Filed by Harriet Hageman (R-WY) · Introduced Jan 23, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill exempts two categories of federal energy and mineral activities from environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): issuing or renewing leases for oil, gas, and coal exploration on federal lands, and issuing permits for critical mineral extraction under the 1872 Mining Law. Citizens lose the right to demand environmental impact assessments before the government approves these projects.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is to strip environmental review requirements from federal energy and mineral leasing decisions. It is functionally a deregulation measure that removes procedural protections, not a substantive policy change to energy law itself.
What the text implies
- Removes public notice-and-comment periods that currently allow citizens, tribes, and environmental groups to submit evidence on project impacts before approval.
- Eliminates the requirement for federal agencies to consider and disclose cumulative environmental effects, climate impacts, and alternatives to proposed projects.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
oil and gas companies; coal producers; mining companies (especially rare-earth and critical mineral extractors)