Summer Lee (D-PA)
Coal Cleanup Taxpayer Protection Act of 2026
A Democratic bill with 2 Democratic cosponsors · See all 2 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Coal Cleanup Taxpayer Protection Act of 2026 aims to amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. It focuses on protecting taxpayers from the financial liability associated with reclaiming surface coal mining operations. The bill seeks to restrict "self-bonding" by prohibiting the Secretary from accepting bonds from the applicants themselves. It also establishes stricter rules for alternative bonding systems, requiring detailed historical and financial reports from States. Additionally, the bill implements new regulations for surety bonds and limits the types of property that can be used as collateral.
Yes· 3 of 6
- Scored +6
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?
The bill ensures that funds for land reclamation are more reliably secured to prevent environmental damage from abandoned mines.
- Scored +5
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?
The bill aims to protect the Federal Government and States from the financial liability of coal mine reclamation costs.
- Scored +5
Does this make the government pay for what it commits to?
By prohibiting self-bonding, the bill ensures that the costs of environmental cleanup are covered by actual assets rather than company promises.
The opposite
- Scored -3
Does this leave more decisions to the states?
The bill imposes stricter federal oversight and reporting requirements on State regulatory authorities regarding their bonding programs.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Protection of Taxpayer Funds: The bill aims to protect taxpayers from the financial liability associated with the reclamation of surface coal mining operations (Section 2, introductory text).
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Increased Oversight of Alternative Systems: The Secretary can only approve alternative bonding systems if a State submits a detailed report including a 7-year history of bond forfeitures and costs, as well as a 5-year financial forecast (Section 2, subsection (c)(2)).
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Elimination of Self-Bonding Risk: The bill prohibits the Secretary from accepting a "self-bond" from an applicant, which reduces the risk that a company cannot pay for reclamation (Section 2, subsection (f)(1)(A)).
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Requirement for Stronger Collateral: The bill restricts the use of certain assets—such as coal, mines, or equipment unlikely to retain value—as collateral, ensuring more reliable financial backing (Section 2, subsection (h)(1)).
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Regular Value Re-evaluations: The Secretary is required to re-evaluate the value of nonliquid collateral every three years to ensure it remains sufficient (Section 2, subsection (h)(2)(A)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Compliance Burdens for States: State regulatory authorities must amend their programs to remove the authority for self-bonding and ensure existing self-bonds are replaced by specific deadlines (Section 2, subsection (f)(2)).
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Operational Changes for Mining Companies: Permittees with existing self-bonds must replace them with other acceptable forms of bonding before their permit expires or undergoes a major modification (Section 2, subsection (f)(1)(B)).
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Compliance Burdens for Corporate Sureties: Existing corporate surety bonds may need to be modified or replaced within one year of a new rule being issued (Section 2, subsection (g)(2)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Securing funds for mine reclamation helps protect the environmental integrity of rural communities where mining occurs. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Protecting taxpayer funds from environmental cleanup costs helps prevent future fiscal burdens on the public. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — Ensuring reclamation costs are covered helps protect the public treasury from depletion.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — By prohibiting self-bonding, the bill ensures that the costs of environmental cleanup are covered by actual assets rather than company promises. Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — The bill aims to protect the Federal Government and States from the financial liability of coal mine reclamation costs.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this better protect air, water and wildlife? — The bill ensures that funds for land reclamation are more reliably secured to prevent environmental damage from abandoned mines.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this leave more decisions to the states? — The bill imposes stricter federal oversight and reporting requirements on State regulatory authorities regarding their bonding programs.
- 5/26/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Donald BeyerDemocrat · Virginia
Christopher DeluzioDemocrat · Pennsylvania