Who pays the cost of reclaiming hazards associated with abandoned mine sites in Wyoming?
Wyoming coal producers pay a reclamation fee of 35 cents per ton on surface mined coal. These fees amount to about $130 million annually. The money is paid into the Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund maintained by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining. Each year, the Abandoned Mine Land Division of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality receives $25 to $30 million, which is spent on remediated hazards to public health and safety. Coal fees are also assessed to underground coal mines at a different rate and by type of surface coal. What happens if my house is damaged by mine subsidence from an abandoned mine. The AML Division of DEQ operates a mine subsidence insurance program that provides coverage for structures in subsidence-prone areas. If the home or business owner has subsidence insurance, that program will reimburse the owner for the cost of repairs and will mitigate the abandoned mine to prevent future damage. If the owner does not have subsidence insurance, AML will mitigate t
