March 19, 2019

Manchin Announces Over $35 Million For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Grants

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) has awarded $35,754,311 to West Virginia for mine reclamation projects. The AML program is set to expire in 2021 and reauthorization of this critical program will be a priority for Senator Manchin.

“I am proud to announce that West Virginia will receive more than $35 million for mine reclamation projects which are great investments in our water and lands. Through OSMRE funding, West Virginia has previously completed projects that reclaimed a 17 acre burning refuse in Nicholas County, installed four mine seals, and stream bank protection in Kanawha County, as well as an ongoing project to protect houses from landslides caused by mining in Harrison County. This funding and support have real-life impacts on West Virginians and our communities, and I am glad that West Virginia is receiving the funding we need to reclaim, rebuild and reuse these sites.”

Abandoned Mine Land (AML) grants, funded in part by a fee based on coal produced in the United States, help to eliminate dangerous environmental conditions and pollution caused by past coal mining.  AML-funded projects have closed dangerous mine shafts, eliminated highwalls, reclaimed unstable slopes, treated acid mine drainage, and restored water supplies damaged by mining.

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