ACHE Act of 2025

The Appalachian Communities Health Equity Act of 2025 (ACHE Act) would place a nationwide moratorium on issuing or renewing federal authorizations for mountaintop removal coal mining (MTR) and any expansions of such projects until a comprehensive federal health study completes and a Department of Health and Human Services determination is issued about health risks to nearby communities. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), in coordination with the EPA and other relevant agencies, would lead or support the health study and then publish a public report. Only after the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines that MTR does not pose health risks would federal authorizations potentially resume. In the interim, the bill imposes mandatory monitoring at MTR sites, monthly reporting to DHHS, public disclosure of results, and an enforcement mechanism that could block new or renewed federal permits if monitoring requirements are not met. The bill also levies a one-time fee on current or former MTR operators to recover federal costs of the study and monitoring activities.