Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced today U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has made $2,829,000 available to North Dakota to reclaim and repurpose abandoned coal mines. This Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Reclamation grant award comes through the DOI Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) and is in addition to money in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
OSMRE provides AML grants to coal-producing states and tribes based on a congressionally mandated formula that evaluates past and current coal production by these entities. Under the AML Reclamation Program, OSMRE has distributed billions in grants to states and tribes. The funds have directly contributed to AML Reclamation Program achievements across the nation including the closure of over 45,000 abandoned underground mine shafts and openings, the elimination of over 960 miles of dangerous highwalls, and the restoration of over 850,000 acres of clogged streams and land.