Miles SmithThe Department of the Interior will make more than $140 million available to invest in projects that address pollution concerns caused by abandoned coal mines across West Virginia.
Millions of Americans live less than a mile from an abandoned coal mine. Pollution concerns from mine lands include drainage discharge that threatens the quality of ground and surface water. Many mines that were abandoned prior to the 1970s were not reclaimed, according to the Groundwater Protection Council.
More than $280 million has been allocated to West Virginia since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was enacted. The funding is part of a $16 billion effort to address legacy pollution through the BIL that has been ongoing since 2021.
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“With this funding, we are not just cleaning up the past—we are building a more sustainable and prosperous future for coal communities that have powered our nation for generations,” Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said. “This is an opportunity to ensure that these communities are at the forefront of job creation, clean energy innovation, and economic revitalization. Together, we are addressing legacy pollution while paving the way for healthier, safer and more resilient futures.”
Those efforts include addressing nearly all of the currently inventoried abandoned coal mine lands in the nation, which will help communities address and eliminate dangerous conditions and pollution caused by historic coal mining, the Department of the Interior said.
Abandoned mine reclamation can also involve contouring land, placing new topsoil, reseeding with native vegetation, crops or trees and years of monitoring.
The Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program uses fees paid by coal mining companies to address mines that were abandoned prior to 1977.
Protests of the proposed amendments may be filed through Dec. 16 at the BLM National NEPA Register.
