30 U.S.C. § 1231a — Abandoned mine reclamation fund authorization of appropriations

(a) In general. Congress may appropriate $11,293,000,000 for fiscal year 2022 for deposit into the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund established by section 401(a) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. The money remains available until spent. (b) Use of funds. (1) Subject to subsection (g), the money must be provided as quickly as practicable as annual grants to the States and Indian Tribes in paragraph (2) for abandoned-mine land and water reclamation projects under that Act. (2) Grants may go to (A) States and Indian Tribes with a State or Tribal program approved under section 405 of that Act; (B) States and Indian Tribes certified under section 411(a); and (C) States and Indian Tribes referred to in section 402(g)(8)(B). (3) States and Tribes may combine bids into larger statewide or regional contracts when applying. (c) Covered activities. (1) Except as paragraph (2) provides, grants may be used only for activities described in sections 403(a), 403(b), and 410 of that Act. (2)(A) Up to 30 percent of each annual grant may be kept if deposited in a State-law long-term reclamation fund. The State or Tribe may spend the money and its interest on (i) acid-mine-drainage causes and effects, including building, operating, maintaining, and rehabilitating treatment systems; (ii) subsidence prevention, reduction, and control; or (iii) coal-mine-fire prevention, reduction, and control. (B) A recipient using such a fund must (i) propose inventory amendments showing those three uses and (ii) report the fund’s status and balance in its annual grant report. (C) Kept money is not subject to subsection (d)(4)(B) or another limit on an annual grant’s term. (d) Allocation. (1) Subject to subsection (e), the Secretary of the Interior must allocate and distribute the grant money equally each year over 15 years beginning November 15, 2021, based on historical coal tons produced in each State or applicable Indian land before August 3, 1977, whether or not the recipient is certified under section 411(a). (2) Section 401(f)(3)(B) of that Act does not apply to these grants. (3)(A) Within six years after the first allocation, the Secretary must report to Congress on progress addressing outstanding needs under sections 403(a), 403(b), and 410. (B) Before reporting, the Secretary must ask States and Tribes for input and include a description of the input received. (4)(A) Within 20 years after November 15, 2021, the Secretary must evaluate grant payments. (B) After the evaluation, States and Tribes must return unused money to the Fund. (e) Minimum grant. An eligible State or Tribe must receive at least $20,000,000 under subsection (b)(1) when at least $20,000,000 is needed for the described projects on its land. (f) Priority. In addition to the priorities in section 403(a), priority may be given to projects that employ current or former coal-industry employees. (g) Reservation. $25,000,000 of the money is available to the Secretary to give States and Tribes financial and technical help needed to amend the inventory under section 403(c).