History
In late 2010, the Kentucky Department for Natural Resources (KDNR) and the Lexington Field Office of the U.S. Office of Surface Mining (OSM) completed a joint special study on reclamation bonding for coal mining operations in Kentucky. In January 2011, OSM determined that the Kentucky regulatory program contained several reclamation bonding deficiencies.
On May 1, 2012, OSM issued a letter to the department for Part 733 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), requiring the implementation of program changes to resolve the issues. Prominent among those changes was the promulgation of House Bill 66, now codified as KRS 350.500 through 350.521. Enacted March 22, 2013, this legislation established the Kentucky Reclamation Guaranty Fund (fund), the Fund Commission and the Office of the Reclamation Guaranty Fund (ORGF), to support the commission and administer its affairs.
The fund is a revolving, interest-bearing account that will provide financial assistance to the cabinet in the event the permit-specific reclamation bond is insufficient to complete reclamation on a mine site. Participation in the fund is mandatory, unless permittees elect to provide a full-cost bond in accordance with specific calculation methods.
The fund received initial capitalization from the assets of the former voluntary Kentucky Bond Pool, which was abolished by the above legislation. Additional initial capitalization resulted from a start-up assessment and a one-time acreage fee. Subsequent additional revenue is generated from tonnage and acreage fees paid annually, depending on the operational status of each permit.
Online Quarterly Reporting and Fee Payments
Permittee members are required to report the tonnage for any coal production and pay associated fees, by permit, quarterly. If coal was not produced or not expected to be produced, permittees are required to either report quarterly or optionally pre-pay for all quarters for the year by April 30th. Quarterly reporting and payment of fees are required to be submitted within 30 days of the end of the reporting quarter.
1st
| January 1 - March 31
| April 30
|
2nd
| April 1 - June 30
| July 30
|
3rd
| July 1 - September 30
| October 30
|
4th
| October 1 - December 31
| January 30
|
Submit Quarterly Reporting and Fee Payments
KRGF Online Portal open through April 30, 2026.
NEW EEC eForm for Quarterly Reporting and Training
The new EEC eForms KRGF Quarterly Fee Report eform training is scheduled for March 24, 2026 at 9:00 AM at the Energy and Environment Cabinet, 300 Sower Blvd, Training Rm A, Frankfort, KY 40601. The training will be offered in-person with a virtual option. For those attending in-person, please bring a personal laptop for hands on training. Register for the training.
EEC eForms website effective May 1, 2026, is a web-based digital eForm version of the KRGF Quarterly Fee Report (RGF-1) created to replace the KRGF Online Portal. Refer to the RGF-1 eForm User Guide for guidance.
EEC eSearch is a public portal to search EEC data and to pay an invoice.