ASSEMBLY TRANSPORTATION AND INDEPENDENT AUTHORITIES COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 6069

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 15, 2025

      The Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 6069.

      As amended and reported, this bill establishes the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program in the Department of Transportation (DOT) to protect the citizens of New Jersey from the adverse effects of abandoned mines in the State, including mine subsidence and water quality degradation.

      The bill directs the DOT to develop, in consultation with the chief of the mine safety section of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and with the Department of Environmental Protection, a Statewide plan for the reclamation of abandoned mines (plan).  The bill establishes minimum requirements for the contents of the plan, including a ranked order of the reclamation projects designed to reclaim, backfill, stabilize, or otherwise render safe all dangerous mine voids present in the State.  After the DOT completes the plan, the bill directs the DOT to begin implementing the plan, by carrying out mine reclamation projects itself, contracting with private construction firms, or by granting monies to local governments or private property owners to carry out the projects.

      The bill requires the DOT to make reasonable efforts to notify any known or unknown property owners before entering the property and implementing the plan.  Under the bill, the DOT is required to provide reasonable accommodations concerning the time, date, and manner of entry, at the request of the property owner.  The bill provides that any entry by the DOT is to be construed as an exercise of the State’s police power and is not to be construed as an act of condemnation or trespass.

      Finally, the bill establishes the “Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program Fund” in the DOT to serve as the repository for federal funds, State funds, or other monies to be used for mine reclamation projects.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:  

      (1)  require the DOT to develop the State reclamation plan for abandoned mines, as required under the bill, after consulting with the Department of Environmental Protection in addition to consulting with the section chief of the mine safety section of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development; and

      (2)  make technical changes.