"Environmental advocates and states are scrutinizing coal mining company financial reports to determine whether they have enough money to cover the cost of returning sites to pre-mining conditions.

The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, signed by President Carter in 1977, requires companies to provide bonds or other financial assurances just in case they go bust and can't meet their legal obligations.

States like Wyoming and West Virginia allow companies to self-bond, as long as they meet certain requirements. But the coal mining downturn is raising questions about the ability of companies to make good on their promises."

Manuel Quiñones reports for Greenwire April 28, 2015. [2]