Thompson’s bipartisan bill reauthorizes trust to fund abandoned coal mine cleanups

U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) on Sept. 9 unveiled bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) trust fund.

“Reauthorizing the AML fund will ensure continued support for critical reclamation activities, while also providing both environmental and economic benefits to coal regions,” Rep. Thompson said on Tuesday. “With the current trust fund set to expire in September 2021, Congress must take up this bipartisan legislation.”

Rep. Thompson cosponsored the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act Amendments of 2019, H.R. 4248, with bill cosponsor U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) and eight other cosponsors, including U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA).

If enacted, H.R. 4248 would amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to allow the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to delegate certain emergency reclamation activities to the states and tribal governments, according to the bill’s text.

For instance, the bill would expand funding for states that have not been certified for reclaiming high-priority coal AML areas; extend states’ authority to collect fees at current levels for 15 years; and reimburse states for AML fees that were sequestered since fiscal year 2013,according to a bill summary provided by the congressman’s office.

The bill also would reauthorize the cleanup of abandoned coal mines, in turn spurring economic development in communities negatively impacted by their closures, according to Rep. Thompson’s office, which noted that of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, 43 have abandoned coal mine land sites.

“Pennsylvania’s heritage is rooted in coal, which powered an industrial revolution and won two World Wars,” Rep. Thompson said. “With these great advancements also came the need for environmental restoration, and while we have made great progress over the past four decades, there remains much to be done.”