PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jul 29, 2015
Coal Royalty Fairness and Communities Investment Act of 2015
This bill amends the Mineral Leasing Act to require the coal lease royalty to be at least 12.5% of the assessment value of federal coal (currently, 12.5% of the value of coal as defined by regulation), which value shall be established by the Department of the Interior within one year after enactment of this Act.
"Assessment value" means: (1) the price of federal coal paid by the purchaser at final sale, or (2) a price imputed by the Secretary based on the coal price index (the schedule of average market prices of federal coal at final sale).
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
The purchaser of federal coal shall report annually information necessary to carry out this Act. Interior may examine the records of any person engaged in the purchase, sale, transportation, or marketing of federal coal.
The bill prescribes requirements for: (1) determining and assessing royalties for the export of federal coal, (2) compiling in a transportation cost index the average costs of transporting coal, and (3) determining the amount of any applicable transportation cost deduction on the basis of such index.
The bill also establishes in the Treasury a Coal Area Economic Revitalization Fund for the annual deposit of $105 million of royalty revenues collected by the United States from coal leases. The Economic Development Administration of the Department of Commerce shall use certain Fund amounts to issue grants under specified programs for projects to assist communities and Indian tribes negatively impacted by changes in the coal economy. The Department of Energy shall use certain Fund amounts to provide financial assistance for the design, construction, and operation of large-scale projects to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions from industrial sources. Specified federal departments and agencies shall provide impacted communities with technical assistance and educational outreach to fund partnerships.
People & committees
Rep. Cartwright, Matt [D-PA-17] · D–PA
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Aug 12, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.3303 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.3303 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.3303 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.3303 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.