Other “goals” include establishing a percentage for all self-bonds to be supported by collateral not subject to any other lien or used as collateral for any other liability; providing diversification for financial assurance/reclamation bonds for each mine to prevent a single entity from providing a mine’s entire bond; giving regulatory authorities better tools to obtain replacement bonds; and minimizing associated risks with corporate sureties tied to a cash-flow basis.
OSM posted its plans in the Federal Register. It has direct oversight of surface coal mining and reclamation activities in 12 states; another 24 states have primary authority for surface coal mining regulation, as they have developed and obtained approval of their respective regulatory programs. Nineteen of the primacy states allow self-bonding, while five do not.
