Abstract: China shares some similarities with the United States in terms of area,population and GDP. This article analyzes the role of the government from the perspective of the coal resources management in the United States,which hopefully could help to improving China's mineral resources management.The United States is abundant of coal resources..The coal industry shares 40% of mining sector and play an important role in the United States.The coal industry is highly concentrated and shows a good safety record.The top 5producers contribute over half of production.The mineral management in the United States has two characteristics:different types of mineral ownership coexist;three catalogues of mineral resources are subject to different management system.Coal is leased competitively.Government makes many efforts to realize multiple uses,fair return,diligent development and conservation of coal resources. The role of government is far more than a "night watcher" in the modern market economy.We should take national conditions,development stages and legal system into consideration and choose a right way to improve mineral resources management constantly.