Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Joe Manchin
May 17, 2022
Funding will support economic development in former coal communities
Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) today announced $26.63 million from the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) for Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) projects across West Virginia.
“Today’s announcement from the Department of the Interior is fantastic news for West Virginia. Along with the
$140 million already announced for this fiscal year from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this critical investment will fund exciting projects that will bring new economic opportunities, create good-paying jobs and ensure the health and safety of our hardworking coal communities. As Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I’ll continue to advocate for programs like AMLER that provide communities across the Mountain State new opportunities to rebuild and thrive, making them better and safer places to live for generations to come,& rdquo;
said Chairman Manchin.“Reclaiming our abandoned mine lands will continue to help improve our water quality, revitalize landscapes, and further economic development and job creation in West Virginia,”
Senator Capito said. “While I was helping negotiate and craft the bipartisan infrastructure law, providing resources for our state to address AML was a top priority. This funding through the Department of the Interior’s ALMER program will work in conjunction with
historic investments I helped announce earlier this year, and will g o a long way in revitalization projects across our state.”
Established in 2016, the AMLER program funds projects that return legacy coal mining sites to productive uses through economic and community development. High priority abandoned mine land problems pose an immediate threat to health, safety, and the general welfare of communities. Abandoned mine land problems include clogged streams/stream lands, dangerous piles or embankments, dangerous highwall, underground mine fire and polluted water.
