S. 362: To allow certain Federal minerals to be mined consistent with the Bull Mountains Mining Plan Modification, and for other purposes.

The bill titled "To allow certain Federal minerals to be mined consistent with the Bull Mountains Mining Plan Modification" is focused on permitting the mining of specific federal coal reserves in Montana. Here’s a simplified breakdown of the key points:

Authorization for Mining

The bill grants permission to mine federal coal reserves that are leased under a specific agreement known as Federal Coal Lease MTM 97988, located in federal land outlined in the bill.

Definition of Bull Mountains Mining Plan Modification

The term "Bull Mountains Mining Plan Modification" refers to an amendment approved by the Department of the Interior in November 2020, which outlines how mining activities should be managed in that area.

Mining of Federal Minerals

• General Approval: The bill states that all coal reserves within the specified lease are authorized to be mined in accordance with the specified mining plan.
• Requirement for Action: The Secretary of the Interior is mandated to approve this mining plan modification within 30 days of the bill's enactment, ensuring that there are no delays or changes made to the plan during this approval process.

Description of the Federal Land

The federal land affected by this bill consists of approximately 800 acres located in Musselshell County, Montana. The specific areas within this federal land have been detailed in subsections:

• The NE 1/4 of section 8
• The SW 1/4 of section 10
• The W 1/2 and SE 1/4 of section 22

Summary

Essentially, this bill is designed to facilitate the extraction of coal from a defined area in Montana by authorizing the mining of federal mineral reserves in line with an existing mining plan.

Relevant Companies

• ARCH Resources (ARCH) - As a coal producer, the company might see opportunities for increased operations in the area where the bill authorizes mining.
• Peabody Energy (BTU) - This company could also be directly impacted as it operates in the coal sector and may seek to leverage the mining opportunities created by the bill.