Source: United States Senator for Ohio Rob Portman
Funds Made Available Through Portman’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
February 11, 2022 | Press Releases
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) applauded the Department of Interior (DOI) announcement that $46.4 million has been allocated to Ohio for fiscal year (FY) 2022 to reclaim abandoned mine lands (AML). The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – which Portman was the lead negotiator on – provides $11.3 billion in AML funding to states over the next 15 years.
“Thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law, Ohio is in a better position than ever to reclaim its abandoned mine lands and continue to make our communities safer for families and for businesses to grow,” said Senator Portman. “Abandoned mines present a safety and health risk, and with this additional funding, we can help to mitigate those risks while also supporting job creation in our coal communities.”
Abandoned mines pose risks to both people and the environment. They can contaminate ground water, emit toxic waste, and cause injury when unsteady infrastructures collapse. AML reclamation projects aim to close dangerous mine shafts, reclaim unstable slopes, improve water quality by treating acid mine drainage, and restore water supplies damaged by mining.
DOI will allocate and distribute nearly $725 million annually over the next 15 years, based on states’ and Tribes’ demonstrated need for AML funding. As required by the bipartisan Infrastructure law, these allocations are determined based on the number of tons of coal historically produced in each state or on Indian lands before August 3, 1977, when the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) was enacted. States are guaranteed at least $20 million over the 15-year life of the program if their inventory of AML sites would cost more than $20 million to address. As state AML inventories are updated, future distributions will change.
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