Congressional Democrats ask for review of environmental threat from ‘zombie’ coal mines

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and seven House Democrats asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review potential environmental damages caused by idled coal mines. 

So-called zombie mines are often technically active under the law but have not been used for extraction for months or years, and due to lack of maintenance, they may be at risk for leaks that can do major environmental damage to the surrounding area.

The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) requires mine operators to reclaim any lands disturbed during the mining process, but reclamation is usually funded by coal revenues, and as such, a mine may be less likely to be reclaimed the longer it remains idle. 

“Further, there have been at least 68 coal company bankruptcies since 2012, which draws attention to whether financial assurances obtained by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement and state agencies will be adequate to reclaim the land should the operators fail to do so,” the lawmakers wrote. “As a result, taxpayers may ultimately get stuck paying the bill.”

Fetterman and the House members submitted the letters separately, but the letters were identical. 

SMCRA also distributes oversight responsibilities among numerous state and federal agencies, which can complicate the process of reviewing records, the members wrote.

The House letter was signed by Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) and Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.).

Signers of the letter requested information from the GAO on the number, location and acreage of mining permits that have stalled reclamation and coal production for a year or more since 2019. They further asked for details on how many of those permits have resumed coal production and how long those that have yet to resume production have been unproductive.

The Hill has reached out to the GAO for comment.