The House will vote on a slate of natural resources and water bills this week, including one dealing with mine reclamation and another to expedite certain Interior Department appeals.
H.R. 167, the “Community Reclamation Partnerships Act,” from Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), would protect third-party groups from liability if they take part in cleaning up old, abandoned coal mines.
LaHood’s bill would amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to authorize states and nongovernmental entities to work together to restore land and water affected by coal mining before the law passed.
As it stands, states are responsible for cleaning up old mines using money from the abandoned mine lands fund, which is supported by fees that coal operators pay. Groups that want to pitch in are often deterred by potential liability.
