# 2025-20831: Erasing Ghost Funds from Mining Reclamation Rules

2025-20831, 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/2025-20831
- As of: 2026-06-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2025-20831
- Title: Prior Balance Replacement Funds
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Interior Department; Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office
- Citation: 90 FR 52862
- Published: 2025-11-24
- Effective: 2026-01-23
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: 1029-AD00
- Last updated: 2026-06-11

## In one line

Erasing Ghost Funds from Mining Reclamation Rules

## Summary

This new rule wipes out old references to 'prior balance replacement funds'—money that was supposed to help States and Tribes but never actually got approved by Congress before 2007. If you’re part of a State or Tribal mining program, this cleanup means clearer rules with no impact on your current funding. The change kicks in January 23, 2026, unless folks send in big objections by December 24, 2025.

## Abstract

This direct final rule revises the Federal regulations to rescind references 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, and to make minor conforming language changes.

## Effects PRIA read

No economic effects identified for this document.

## Related documents

- [2025-21443](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-21443): Rescission of Fee Rates, 2025-11-28
- [2026-21726](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-21726): Agency Information Collection Activities; 30 CFR 822-Special Permanent Program Performance Standards-Operations in Alluvial Valley Floors, 2026-10-26
- [2026-21835](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-21835): Wyoming Regulatory Program, 2026-10-26
- [2026-21807](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-21807): Ohio Regulatory Program, 2026-10-26
- [2026-17821](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-17821): Montana Regulatory Program, 2026-09-01
- [2026-17333](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-17333): Montana Regulatory Program, 2026-08-25

## Sources
- [2025-20831 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/11/24/2025-20831/prior-balance-replacement-funds)
- [2025-20831 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-11-24/pdf/2025-20831.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2025-20830, Prior Balance Replacement Funds](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-20830)
- [Next: 2025-20835, Scope of Federal Regulations Implementing the Surface Mining Control and Reclam…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-20835)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-20831 (as of 2026-06-11).