Coal Cleanup Taxpayer Protection Act

Coal Cleanup Taxpayer Protection Act of 2021

This bill prohibits self-bonding practices for coal reclamation, establishes limits on bonding practices associated with surface coal mining operations, and establishes requirements for coal mining operations to provide sufficient financial resources to complete mine reclamation.

Currently, self-bonding practices allow coal mining operations to demonstrate that they have sufficient corporate assets to complete reclamation, without requiring cash or collateral up-front as in the case of surety or collateral bonds. The bill prohibits the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement (OSMRE) and state regulatory authorities from accepting new self-bonds for coal reclamation.

In addition, the bill requires any existing self-bonds or corporate bonds utilized for coal reclamation to be converted to surety or collateral bonds. The OSMRE must issue rules establishing limitations on surety bonds to minimize the financial liability to the federal or state government. The OSMRE may approve state or federal alternative coal mining bond programs that result in no greater risk of financial liability to the federal government than a surety or collateral bond program.