Interior provides over $2.8 million for Utah to reclaim, repurpose abandoned coal mines
On Feb. 26, the Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement announced the availability of the fiscal year 2018 Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation grants, which will provide $2,802,000 million to Utah to reclaim abandoned coal mines. More than $300 million in Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation funding will be available to states and tribes in fiscal year 2018.
“Restoring the usability of abandoned mine lands is an example of the Department of the Interior’s multiple-use mission of conservation in action,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. “Interior will continue helping states and tribes responsibly develop America’s energy resources and address legacy problems related to 200 years of mining. [Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation] grants keep Americans working and making a difference in their communities. This money will be used to fix highwalls, stabilize land above underground mines, and repair impaired waters, among other things. [Abandoned Mine Land] reclamation makes life better in our nation’s coal communities.”
Approximately $120 million of the increase from fiscal year 2017 is the result of a phase-in period for states and tribes to receive certified in-lieu funds that were withheld under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act between fiscal years 2009 and 2011.
Those states and tribes that have certified that they have completed their abandoned mine land reclamation obligations will receive $61 million dollars in fiscal years 2018 and 2019 in addition to the certified in-lieu funds those states and tribes otherwise receive each year from the U.S. Treasury. Uncertified states will also receive an increase of the same amount in those years. A small portion of the increase in Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation funding is attributed to an upturn in U.S. coal production. The total amount available for distribution was reduced by the mandated sequestration amount of 6.6 percent that was applied across the board.
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement provides Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation grants to the 28 coal-producing states and tribes according to a Congressionally mandated formula based on their past and current coal production. Each year, after the distribution is announced, eligible states and tribes apply for annual reclamation grants to access money in their allocations. After the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has evaluated and verified the requests, the bureau will make the award amounts available.
Under the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation program, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has distributed more than $5 billion in grants to states and tribes from the Abandoned Mine Land Fund. Over the past 40 years, the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation program has directly contributed to closing more than 43,000 abandoned underground mine shafts and openings, eliminating nearly 1,000 miles of highwalls, and restoring over 35,000 acres of streams and land.
Videos featuring award-winning Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation projects can be viewed at the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’s YouTube channel.
