February 22, 2024 - CINCINNATI, Ohio — Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland traveled to Ohio on Wednesday to announce $46.4 million in fiscal year 2023 funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law agenda to address dangerous and polluting abandoned mines and to create good-paying jobs and catalyze economic opportunity in Ohio. Wednesday’s announcement builds on the $46.4 million allocated to the state in fiscal year 2022.
The visit is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s fourth Investing in America tour to highlight the impact of the President’s agenda in communities across the country.
“Through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Department is helping to implement the largest investment in tackling legacy pollution in American history,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “These new resources are creating jobs, catalyzing economic opportunity and revitalizing coal communities as we work to clean up toxic sites and build healthier communities.”
While in Ohio, the Secretary hosted a roundtable with state, local and labor leaders and other stakeholders to discuss the Department’s implementation of historic funding provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for abandoned mine land remediation.
Millions of Americans nationwide live less than a mile from an abandoned coal mine. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated a total of $16 billion to address legacy pollution, including $11.3 billion in abandoned mine land funding over 15 years, facilitated by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. This historic funding is expected to address nearly all of the currently inventoried abandoned coal mine lands in the nation, which will help communities address and eliminate dangerous environmental conditions and pollution caused by historic coal mining.
To date, more than $151.4 million in awards for fiscal year 2023 have been announced to Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. Funding will be awarded to additional eligible states and Tribes on a rolling basis as they apply.
AML reclamation supports jobs in coal communities by investing in projects that close dangerous mine shafts, reclaim unstable slopes, improve water quality by treating acid mine drainage, and restore water supplies damaged by mining. Awards also enable economic revitalization by reclaiming hazardous land for recreational facilities and other economic redevelopment uses, such as advanced manufacturing and renewable energy deployment. As directed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, funding will prioritize projects that employ dislocated coal industry workers.
This funding is a part of the Biden-Harris administration’s unprecedented investments in communities and workers to support an equitable transition to a sustainable economy and healthier environment after the closure of mines or power plants. This effort also advances the President’s Justice40 Initiative that sets a goal to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
These Bipartisan Infrastructure Law AML funds supplement traditional annual AML grants, which are funded by active coal operations. In the 46 years since SMCRA was enacted, OSMRE has provided more than $8 billion under the AML reclamation program to reclaim lands and waters that were mined or affected by mining prior to 1977.
Source: DOI
