Self-Bonding Report

The report highlights the risk posed by 'self-bonds' in the coal industry, where companies avoid posting collateral for land and water reclamation. With $3.86 billion in outstanding self-bond obligations nationwide—$2.4 billion of which is held by companies in bankruptcy—the author warns that taxpayers may be forced to fund costly environmental restoration if regulators do not act to curtail this practice.

• Regulators have the discretion to allow coal companies to use 'self-bonds,' which enable companies to operate without providing any collateral or surety to guarantee the reclamation of degraded land and water resources.
• There is a significant financial risk associated with self-bonding, with $3.86 billion in outstanding obligations nationwide, and $2.4 billion of that amount is held by companies that are currently in bankruptcy.
• Failure by policymakers to take decisive action regarding self-bonding may result in taxpayers being responsible for the costs of environmental reclamation after mining operations end.

APA

Webb, J. F. H. B. S. S. S. A. L. (2016). Self-Bonding Report. Institute for Policy Integrity. https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/self-bonding-report

Chicago

Webb, Jayni Foley Hein, Ben Snow, Sean Stefanik, and Lauren. Self-Bonding Report. Institute for Policy Integrity, 2016. https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/self-bonding-report.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Webb |first1=Jayni Foley Hein, Ben Snow, Sean Stefanik, and Lauren |title=Self-Bonding Report |publisher=Institute for Policy Integrity |date=3 August 2016 |url=https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/self-bonding-report |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{webb2016selfbonding, author = {Webb, Jayni Foley Hein, Ben Snow, Sean Stefanik, and Lauren}, title = {{Self-Bonding Report}}, institution = {Institute for Policy Integrity}, year = {2016}, month = aug, url = {https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/self-bonding-report}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }