Bond Improvement and Reclamation Assurance Act of 2026

This bill changes federal rules for the bonds that surface coal mine operators must post to pay for land reclamation if they fail to do it themselves. Bond amounts would have to account for inflation, early mine closure, and the costs a regulator would face after a forfeiture, and would be set assuming the mine may close 5 years after the permit is issued, with a minimum of $52,593 per permit adjusted for inflation. Regulators would recalculate bonds when a permit is renewed, transferred, sold, or revised, and when costs change, and owners of 30 percent or more of a permittee would share liability for reclamation costs. Inspectors would report conditions that could raise reclamation costs, inspection results would be posted electronically, and the Interior Department would issue bond guidelines within 90 days.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Christopher R. Deluzio Democrat sponsor
• 2 cosponsors