I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4248 
To amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to 
allow the Secretary of the Interior to delegate certain emergency reclama-
tion activities to the States and Tribes, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 9, 2019 
Mr. CARTWRIGHT (for himself, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. MICHAEL 
F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania, Ms. JACKSON 
LEE, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. RYAN, and Mr. MEUSER) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act 
of 1977 to allow the Secretary of the Interior to delegate 
certain emergency reclamation activities to the States 
and Tribes, 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 ‘‘Surface Mining Con-
trol and Reclamation Act Amendments of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. ABANDONED MINE LAND RECLAMATION FUND. 
Section 401(f)(2) of the Surface Mining Control and 
Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1231(f)(2)) is 
amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A)— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘2022’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2037’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘2022’’ and substituting 
‘‘2037’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (B)— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2038’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and substituting 
‘‘2038’’; and 
(C) by striking ‘‘2022’’ and inserting 
‘‘2037’’. 
SEC. 3. EMERGENCY POWERS. 
(a) 
STATE
RECLAMATION
PROGRAM.—Section 
405(d) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation 
Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1235(d)) is amended by striking 
‘‘sections 402 and 410 excepted’’ and inserting ‘‘section 
402 excepted’’. 
(b) DELEGATION.—Section 410 of the Surface Min-
ing Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 
1240) is amended— 
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(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, including 
through reimbursement to a State or Tribal Govern-
ment described in subsection (c),’’ after ‘‘moneys’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) STATE OR TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—A State or 
Tribal Government is eligible to receive reimbursement 
from the Secretary under subsection (a) if such State or 
Tribal Government has submitted, and the Secretary has 
approved, an Abandoned Mine Land Emergency Program 
as part of an approved State or Tribal Reclamation Plan 
under section 405.’’. 
SEC. 4. RECLAMATION FEE. 
(a) DURATION.—Effective 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, section 402(b) of the Surface Min-
ing Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 
1232(b)) is amended by striking ‘‘September 30, 2021’’ 
and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2036’’. 
(b) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—Effective September 
30, 2019, section 402(g) of the Surface Mining Control 
and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1232(g)) is 
amended— 
(1) in paragraph (6)(A), by striking ‘‘para-
graphs (1) and (5)’’ inserting ‘‘paragraphs (1), (5), 
and (8)’’; 
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(2) 
in 
paragraph 
(8)(A), 
by 
striking 
‘‘$3,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$5,000,000’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) From amounts withheld pursuant to the 
Budget Control Act of 2011 (2 U.S.C. 901(a)) from 
payments to States under title IV of the Surface 
Mining Control and Reclamation Act (30 U.S.C. 
1232(g)) during fiscal years 2013 through 2018, the 
Secretary shall distribute for fiscal year 2019 an 
amount to each State equal to the total amount so 
withheld.’’. 
SEC. 5. EXEMPT PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES. 
Section 255(g)(1)(A) of the Balanced Budget and 
Emergency Deficit Control Act (2 U.S.C. 905(g)(1)(A)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘Payments 
to States and Indian Tribes from the Abandoned Mine 
Reclamation Fund, mandatory grants to States and In-
dian Tribes (12–50q5–0–2–999).’’. 
Æ 
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