Tell Congress that Coal Companies Must Clean Up Zombie Mines

When mines are neither producing coal nor being reclaimed, they are considered “zombie mines,” and they put nearby communities at risk – not only from a human health standpoint but they also damage their economies.

New measures need to be put in place to protect these coal communities from the pollution and economic turmoil caused by these zombie mines, but the burden should not be put on community members. Coal companies should be held accountable to properly clean up (a process called reclamation) these mines so they can once again be used by the people and wildlife that live on and around them.

Tell your federal legislators to support zombie mine prevention bills to ensure coal companies – not the people – are responsible for mine clean up.

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Dear Representative,

Across the country, coal mines provide jobs and economic benefits in communities during both the mining process and the reclamation process. If mines are properly cleaned up, the landowners can return the land to wildlife habitat or use the land for new projects such as farming, solar and wind facilities, ranching, trails, commercial or residential construction, and more. But as the coal industry has declined, coal companies are failing to clean up their mess.

Three new bills aim to make sure coal companies clean up their mines in a timely manner and make sure the companies provide financial guarantees for clean-up, ensuring that responsibility doesn’t end up falling to taxpayers, or worse – leaving communities with the dangerous mess of an unreclaimed mine.

Congressman Cartwright’s two bills — the Coal Cleanup Taxpayer Protection Act (H.R. 7940) and the Bond Improvement and Reclamation Assurance Act (H.R. 7941) — outlaw certain bonding practices that have created countless zombie mines, and tighten regulations to ensure coal companies will have enough money for reclamation. Congressman Beyer’s Stream Protection and Vegetation Restoration Act (HR 8062) sets clear deadlines for how quickly parts of a mine must be cleaned up after the coal is removed.

Would you please take the lead to protect the health and safety of coal communities across the country and co-sponsor these bills in the House?

Sincerely, 
{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}

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Mining & Dirty Fuels