Coal Cleanup Taxpayer Protection Act of 2026

This bill changes federal rules for the bonds that surface coal mining companies must post to pay for cleaning up (reclaiming) mine sites. It would end self-bonding, where a company backs its own cleanup costs, for both federal and state programs, and require existing self-bonds to be replaced by the next permit renewal or major permit change. States seeking an alternative bonding system would have to submit a report on past bond forfeitures and a 5-year financial forecast for their bond pool. The Secretary would have to write rules limiting surety bonds within 1 year, coal and coal mine property could not be used as collateral, and certain non-cash collateral would be re-valued every 3 years.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Summer L. Lee Democrat sponsor
• 2 cosponsors