# 2025-20827: Interior Department Scrubs Old Mining Fund Regulations Clean

2025-20827, Prior Balance Replacement Funds, is a Federal Register rule from Interior Department, Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office published 2025-11-24, effective 2026-01-23 (as of 2026-06-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-20827
- As of: 2026-06-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2025-20827
- Title: Prior Balance Replacement Funds
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Interior Department; Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office
- Citation: 90 FR 52858
- Published: 2025-11-24
- Effective: 2026-01-23
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: 1029-AC93
- Last updated: 2026-06-11

## In one line

Interior Department Scrubs Old Mining Fund Regulations Clean

## Summary

Starting January 23, 2026, the Office of Surface Mining is cleaning up its rules by removing outdated references to old replacement funds that never got approved by Congress. This change affects States and Tribes who get money from these funds, but it won’t change how much money they receive going forward. If anyone has big concerns, they have until December 24, 2025, to speak up before the rule becomes official.

## Abstract

This direct final rule revises the Federal regulations to rescind language identifying obsolete funds as part of the moneys that the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) must distribute to eligible States and Tribes each fiscal year. The existing regulations refer to prior balance replacement funds, which are moneys from the United States Treasury's General Fund that replaced State or Tribal share funds that were allocated before October 1, 2007, but never appropriated by Congress.

## Effects PRIA read

- Obsolete 'Prior Balance' Funds Removed: benefit, low. If you are a State or Indian Tribe with an approved reclamation plan, the rule removes the regulatory reference to “prior balance replacement funds” that were moneys from the U.S. Treasury General Fund replacing State or Tribal share funds allocated before October 1, 2007. The preamble says the dis…
- No Change to Future Distributions: benefit, low. If you are a State or Indian Tribe that currently receives OSMRE distributions, the Department states this change will not change how much money you receive going forward. The rule rescinds only obsolete language and does not alter the listed moneys that OSMRE must distribute each fiscal year.
- Clarified List of Distributed Fund Types: benefit, low. The revised 30 CFR 872.13(a) explicitly lists the types of moneys OSMRE will distribute each fiscal year: (1) State share funds to uncertified States; (2) Tribal share funds to uncertified Indian tribes; (3) Historic coal funds to uncertified States and Indian tribes; (4) Minimum program make up fu…

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- [2026-21835](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-21835): Wyoming Regulatory Program, 2026-10-26
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- [2026-17821](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-17821): Montana Regulatory Program, 2026-09-01
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## Sources
- [2025-20827 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/11/24/2025-20827/prior-balance-replacement-funds)
- [2025-20827 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-11-24/pdf/2025-20827.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2025-20826, Minimum Program Make Up Funds](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-20826)
- [Next: 2025-20828, Prior Balance Replacement Funds](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-20828)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-20827 (as of 2026-06-11).