I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1819 
To protect taxpayers from liability associated with the reclamation of surface 
coal mining operations, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 30, 2017 
Mr. CARTWRIGHT (for himself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. CA´RDENAS, 
Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Mr. CONNOLLY, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. 
HUFFMAN, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. BEYER, Mr. LAN-
GEVIN, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. LEE, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Ms. 
MATSUI, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. NOR-
TON, Mr. POCAN, Mr. POLIS, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. 
TONKO, Ms. TSONGAS, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, and Mr. LOWENTHAL) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To protect taxpayers from liability associated with the rec-
lamation of surface coal mining operations, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coal Cleanup Taxpayer 
Protection Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. SURFACE COAL MINING BONDING. 
Section 509 of the Surface Mining Control and Rec-
lamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1259) is amended— 
(1) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(c) ALTERNATIVE BONDING SYSTEM.—The Sec-
retary may approve as part of a State or Federal program 
an alternative system that will— 
‘‘(1) achieve the objectives and purposes of the 
bonding program pursuant to this section; and 
‘‘(2) result in no greater risk of financial liabil-
ity to the Federal Government or a State govern-
ment than the bonding program under this section.’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) SELF-BONDING.— 
‘‘(1) FEDERAL PROGRAMS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Effective on the date 
of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary— 
‘‘(i) may not accept the bond of the 
applicant itself (referred to in this sub-
section as a ‘self-bond’); but 
‘‘(ii) may accept a separate surety or 
collateral bond, consistent with the terms 
under subsection (b). 
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‘‘(B) EXISTING
SELF-BONDS.—For coal 
mining operations covered by a self-bond ac-
cepted by the Secretary prior to the date of en-
actment of this subsection, the permittee shall 
replace the self-bond with another form of bond 
acceptable to the Secretary under this section 
by not later than the earlier of— 
‘‘(i) the date of renewal of the permit 
under section 506(d); and 
‘‘(ii) the date of any major permit 
modification under section 506. 
‘‘(2) STATE PROGRAMS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 90 
days after the date of enactment of this sub-
section, the Secretary shall notify all State reg-
ulatory authorities that allow applicants to self- 
bond that the approved regulatory programs of 
the State regulatory authority must be amend-
ed— 
‘‘(i) to remove the authority for appli-
cants to self-bond; and 
‘‘(ii) to require coal mining operations 
covered by a self-bond accepted by the 
State regulatory authority prior to the date 
of enactment of this subsection to replace 
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the self-bond with another form of bond 
acceptable under this section by not later 
than the earlier of— 
‘‘(I) the date of renewal of the 
permit under section 506(d); and 
‘‘(II) the date of any major per-
mit modification under section 506. 
‘‘(g) BONDS ISSUED BY SURETY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this subsection, the Sec-
retary shall issue rules establishing limitations on 
surety bonds accepted under this section to minimize 
the risk of financial liability to the Federal Govern-
ment or a State government, including rules regard-
ing— 
‘‘(A) the maximum quantity of corporate 
surety bonds issued by any 1 corporate surety 
as a percentage of the total quantity of coal 
mine reclamation bonds in any 1 State; 
‘‘(B) the minimum percentage of surety 
bonds unrelated to activities regulated pursuant 
to this Act required to reinsure corporate surety 
bonds; 
‘‘(C) the minimum collateralization re-
quired for corporate surety bonds; and 
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