18 U.S.C. § 1851
Section 1851 · Coal depredations
Amended 2 times on record
Applied in 9 court decisions — leading case 494 F. Supp. 626 - Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Ass'n v. Secretary of Commerce (1980)
Most recently applied in United States v. Gomez (September 2024)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Whoever mines or removes coal of any character, whether anthracite, bituminous, or lignite, from beds or deposits in lands of, or reserved to the United States, with intent wrongfully to appropriate, sell, or dispose of the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
This section shall not interfere with any right or privilege conferred by existing laws of the United States.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§103a, 103b (July 3, 1926, ch. 780, §§1, 2, 44 Stat. 891).
Section consolidates sections 103a and 103b of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed.
Words “deemed guilty of misdemeanor” were deleted as unnecessary in view of definitive section 1 of this title. (See also reviser's note under section 212 of this title.)
Minor changes were made in phraseology.
Amendments
1996—Pub. L. 104–294 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000” in first par.
Cross References
Entry on coal lands in general, see section 71 et seq. of Title 30, Mineral Lands and Mining.
Entry under nonmineral land laws of coal lands with reservation of coal to United States, see section 81 et seq. of Title 30.
Lease of mineral deposits within acquired lands, see section 351 et seq. of Title 30.
Leases and prospecting permits on lands containing coal, see sections 181 et seq., 201 et seq., of Title 30.