Sponsors (3)
The bill strengthens financial assurances and reduces taxpayer cleanup risk by raising and standardizing bonding and enforcement, but it increases costs and regulatory burdens that may squeeze small operators and impose higher expenses on mining companies and regulators.
Taxpayers and nearby residents face a lower risk of paying for mine cleanup because owners/controllers remain jointly and severally liable and bonds must be recalculated on transfers, covering likely reclamation and post‑mining water treatment.
Permittees and communities get stronger financial assurance for reclamation as minimum bond levels rise to $52,593 (indexed annually) and bond amounts must reflect likely reclamation costs and inflation.
State regulators and the Office of Surface Mining get more consistent nationwide minimum-bond benchmarks because the Secretary must issue guideline regulations quickly using forfeiture reclamation data, aiding planning and uniformity.
Utilities, energy companies, mining firms, and investors will face higher upfront and recurring costs because bond floors increase and bonds must be recalculated on transfers, acreage changes, and renewals.
Smaller mining operators and some small-business owners may be pushed out or consolidate because joint-and-several liability and higher bond requirements raise financial risk and capital needs.
State regulatory agencies and the Office of Surface Mining will face increased compliance and administrative burdens to recalculate bonds, track ownership chains, and process more frequent bond adjustments.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Raises minimum mining reclamation bond, mandates bond recalculations and joint-and-several liability for owners, expands inspector reporting, and orders a 90‑day Interior rulemaking to set bond guidelines.
Introduced January 27, 2026 by Chris Deluzio · Last progress January 27, 2026
Raises the financial and legal requirements for mining permits to ensure enough money is available to clean up abandoned or closed mines. It increases the minimum single-permit bond, requires bonds to be recalculated when permits change or transfer, makes certain owners jointly and severally liable for reclamation costs (including water treatment), expands inspector reporting duties, and orders the Interior Department to issue minimum-bond guideline regulations within 90 days using forfeiture/reclamation data. The law aims to reduce the risk that taxpayers or communities pay for mine cleanup by increasing bonding floors, indexing them to inflation, and creating a default presumption that mines will close shortly after permitting for bond-setting purposes. It does not appropriate new funding; it changes regulatory and financial assurances under existing mining law.