A bill to protect the sanctity of contracts and leases entered into by surface patent holders with respect to coalbed methane gas.
Public Law 105-367 · S. 2500 · 105th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Nov 10, 1998 · Energy
Sponsor: Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Cosponsors (2): Sen. Craig Thomas, Sen. Jeff Bingaman
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Declares that the United States shall not deem as an infringement upon its ownership rights certain existing Federal contracts and leases covering land conveyed by the United States that in turn convey to surface patent holders any rights to coalbed methane gas exploration, extraction, sales, or production.
Declares this Act applicable only to land with respect to which the United States owns coal reserved to it in a patent issued under specified Federal law.
States that this "Act does not": (1) apply to any tribally-owned State-owned interest in coal or land; or (2) limit the right of any or person who entered into a contract or lease for federally-owned coal before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act to mine and remove such coal, and to release coalbed methane without liability to surface patent holders with rights to explore for, extract, sell, or produce coalbed methane.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.
- Nov 10, 1998Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 105-367.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 2, 1998PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 15, 1998FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mrs. Cubin moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Oct 10, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- Oct 9, 1998FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Sep 25, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 23, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 18, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.