Abandoned mine reclamation accounts.

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary does not provide detailed information on how much money will be in the new account or when it will start receiving federal funds, leaving these points uncertain.

Abandoned Mine Reclamation Accounts

This law creates a new account to hold federal funds for cleaning up abandoned mines and sets rules for how those funds can be used.

What This Bill Does

• Creates the Long-term Abandoned Mine Reclamation Account to hold federal money given to Wyoming for fixing old mines.
• Specifies that this money can only be spent on stopping acid water from old coal mines, preventing land sinking due to mining, and putting out fires in abandoned coal mines.
• Requires the state treasurer to invest the funds in the account and adds any earnings back into it.
• Repeals an older fund called the Abandoned Mine Land Funds Balancing Account and moves leftover money to a new reserve account.

Who It Names or Affects

• The state treasurer who will manage the funds in the new account.
• People working on cleaning up abandoned mines who can use the funds for their work.

Terms To Know

Abandoned Mine

A mine that is no longer in use and has been left without proper cleanup or maintenance.

Acid Mine Drainage

Water pollution caused by old mines where water mixes with leftover minerals to form acidic runoff, harming nearby ecosystems.

Limits and Unknowns

• The law only allows spending the money on specific tasks related to cleaning up abandoned mines.
• It does not specify how much money will be in the new account or exactly when it will start getting funds from the federal government.
• Details about the transfer of leftover money from an old fund are limited.

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 24LSO-0199

Bill No.:

HB0073

Effective:

7/1/2024

LSO No.:

24LSO-0199

Enrolled Act No.:

HEA No. 0001

Chapter No.:

4

Prime Sponsor:

Joint Appropriations Committee

Catch Title:

Abandoned mine reclamation accounts.

Has Report:

No

Subject:

Creating and repealing accounts associated with abandoned mine land reclamation.

Summary/Major Elements:

This act creates the Long-term Abandoned Mine Reclamation Account. This account would hold certain funds provided under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Funds in the account can be expended for, among other things, the prevention, abatement and control of subsidence and coal-mine fires.

The state treasurer is required to invest account funds, and investment earnings must be credited to the new account.

This act also repeals the Abandoned Mine Land Funds Balancing Account, and any funds remaining in that account are to be transferred to the Abandoned Mine Land Funds Reserve Account on July 1, 2024.

The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

24LSO-0199

ORIGINAL House

Bill No
.
HB0073

ENROLLED ACT NO. 1,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2024 Budget Session

AN ACT relating to environmental quality; creating the long-term abandoned mine reclamation account; specifying permissible uses of the account; authorizing investment of funds in the account; specifying the limits of liability for funds in the account; repealing the abandoned mine lands fund balancing account; specifying transfers of funds from repealed accounts; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 35
‑
11
‑
1211 is created to read:

35
‑
11
‑
1211.

Long
‑
term abandoned mine reclamation account.

(a)

There is created the long
‑
term abandoned mine reclamation account. The state treasurer shall, upon direction from the department, deposit up to thirty percent (30%) of the amount of all funds provided to the state by the United States secretary of the interior under section 40701(c) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as amended by section 801 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, into the account. The state treasurer shall invest funds in the account in accordance with law, and earnings from these investments shall be credited to the account. The liability of the state to fulfill the requirements of this section is limited to the amount of unobligated, unexpended funds in the account. The state shall have no obligations under this section except to the extent of federal funds deposited into this account and the earnings of the account. No funds in the account shall be expended for any purpose not specified in section 40701(c) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as amended by section 801 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. Funds in the account shall be expended only upon legislative appropriation for the following purposes:

(i)

The abatement of the causes and the treatment of the effects of acid mine drainage resulting from coal mining practices, including for the costs of building, operating, maintaining and rehabilitating acid mine drainage treatment systems;

(ii)

The prevention, abatement and control of subsidence;

(iii)

The prevention, abatement and control of coal mine fires.

Section 2
.

W.S. 35
‑
11
‑
1210(e) is repealed.

Section 3
.

The abandoned mine land funds balancing account is repealed. On the effective date of this act, the state auditor shall transfer any unexpended, unobligated funds from the abandoned mine land funds balancing account to the abandoned mine land funds reserve account created in W.S. 35
‑
11
‑
1210(a).

Section 4
.

This act is effective July 1, 2024
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.

Chief Clerk

1