Support increased coal production with environmental safeguards.

Ryan K. Zinke · Montana · Republican

policy impact 0.55 specificity 0.72 extraction confidence 86%

Commitment kind: unknown. Promised action: not established. Promised outcome: not established. Deadline: unknown; not assumed expired.

Occurrences

Zinke said he supported increased coal production with environmental safeguards

In the 2008 Political Courage Test, Zinke indicated support for increasing coal production while maintaining environmental safeguards.

Ryan Zinke: Congressional 2008 Political Courage Test
primary · other · model gpt-5.5

Evidence

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

Congress.gov says the SENSE Act passed the House on March 15, 2016, 231-183. The CRS summary says it applied to electric plants converting coal refuse into energy and eased certain sulfur dioxide and hazardous-air-pollutant limits while retaining a statewide cap on sulfur dioxide allowances.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): The bill supported coal-refuse energy production but weakened some emissions limits, so it is evidence of coal-production support, not a full environmental-safeguards delivery.

partial same_term

H.R.3797 - SENSE Act, 114th Congress
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 87%

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

The Clerk recorded Roll Call 123 on H.R.3797 as passed, 231-183. Ryan Zinke, Republican of Montana, is listed as voting Aye.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): Zinke took a concrete pro-coal vote for the SENSE Act, but the measure only partially matches the promise because it eased environmental limits rather than adding safeguards.

partial same_term A for effort

House Roll Call 123, H.R.3797 SENSE Act
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 95%

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

Congress.gov says H.J.Res.38 became Public Law 115-5 on February 16, 2017. The CRS summary says it nullified the Interior Department Stream Protection Rule, which addressed impacts of surface coal mining on surface water, groundwater, and mining-site productivity.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): The enacted law removed a coal-mining environmental safeguard during the relevant House term; that supports a finding that the safeguards portion was not fulfilled by federal legislative action.

never same_term

H.J.Res.38 - Disapproving the Stream Protection Rule, 115th Congress
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 92%

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

The Clerk recorded Roll Call 73 on H.J.Res.38 as passed, 228-194. Ryan Zinke, Republican of Montana, is listed as Not Voting.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): Zinke did not cast a vote on the successful repeal of the Stream Protection Rule, so this does not count as his concrete effort; the outcome also ran against the environmental-safeguards part of the promise.

never same_term

House Roll Call 73, H.J.Res.38 Stream Protection Rule
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 95%

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

Congress.gov says H.R.1 passed the House on March 30, 2023. Its summary says Interior must advance pending BLM coal lease applications, grant needed approvals for previously awarded coal leases, and nullify Secretarial Order 3338, which paused certain coal leases during review of the federal coal program.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): In later federal service, the House passed a bill supporting more federal coal leasing and mining approvals, but the bill did not establish new environmental safeguards and did not become law.

partial later_term

H.R.1 - Lower Energy Costs Act, 118th Congress
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 90%

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

The Clerk recorded Roll Call 182 on H.R.1 as passed, 225-204. Ryan Zinke, Republican of Montana, is listed as voting Yea.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): Zinke later took a concrete vote to advance expanded coal leasing and energy production provisions, but the action remained partial because it lacked clear environmental safeguards and did not become enacted law.

partial later_term A for effort

House Roll Call 182, H.R.1 Lower Energy Costs Act
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 95%

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

The Interior Department's Stream Protection Rule was a final OSMRE rule under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act addressing environmental effects of surface coal mining, including protection of streams, groundwater, and mine-site restoration.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): This was the clearest contemporaneous federal environmental safeguard for coal mining; the subsequent congressional repeal means the safeguard element of the promise was not delivered through Zinke's House service.

never same_term

Federal Register: Stream Protection Rule
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 84%

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

Congress.gov records H.J.Res.104 as Public Law No. 119-48 on 2025-12-11. The bill nullified the BLM Miles City Field Office RMP amendment in Montana; CRS says that amendment had made no acres available for coal leasing and 1,745,040 acres unavailable for further coal-leasing consideration. The same Congress.gov record lists Rep. Ryan K. Zinke as the original cosponsor on 2025-07-10.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): Zinke took concrete later-term action as original cosponsor of an enacted resolution reopening Montana federal land to coal-leasing consideration. This advances the coal-production portion, but the record shows the law nullified a land-management restriction rather than adding environmental safeguards, so it remains partial.

partial later_term A for effort

All Information for H.J.Res.104, 119th Congress
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 95%

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

The House Clerk records Roll Call 224 on H.J.Res.104 on 2025-09-03. The vote was on passage, the resolution passed 211-208, and Rep. Zinke of Montana voted Yea.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): Zinke also voted for final House passage of the same Montana coal-leasing disapproval resolution. This is strong effort evidence for expanded coal production, but it does not establish the environmental-safeguards element of the promise.

partial later_term A for effort

House Roll Call 224, H.J.Res.104
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 94%

Assessments

Public state: unverified As of unknown · legacy_unverified · . Original AI recommendation (not independently established): partial. later_term A for effort

Zinke materially supported increased coal production through later House actions, including original cosponsorship and a yea vote on H.J.Res.104, which became law and reopened Montana federal lands to coal-leasing consideration. He also supported earlier and later pro-coal measures. However, the record does not show delivery of the environmental-safeguards component; several cited actions eased or removed environmental limits, including repeal of the Stream Protection Rule. Because only the coal-production side was meaningfully advanced, the promise is partially fulfilled, with strongest credited delivery in a later House term.

provider codex_cli · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 94%