Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement issued the following announcement on May 28.
The Biden-Harris administration today submitted to Congress the President’s Budget for fiscal year 2022, including $312 million for the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation, which features $165 million to address coal mine reclamation and economic development efforts.
As the Administration continues to make progress defeating the pandemic and getting our economy back on track, the President’s budget makes historic investments that will help the Department address the climate crisis while creating good-paying jobs with a free and fair chance to join a union, and investing in healthy lands, waters, and economies of energy communities across the country.
“The Interior Department plays an important role in the President’s plan to reinvest in the American people. From bolstering climate resiliency and increasing renewable energy, to supporting Tribal Nations and advancing environmental justice, President Biden’s budget will make much-needed investments in communities and projects that will advance our vision for a robust and equitable clean energy future,” said Secretary Deb Haaland.
The President’s Budget includes the two historic plans the President has already put forward — the Americans Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan – and reinvests in education, research, public health, and other foundations of our country’s strength. At the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, the President’s Budget would:
• Support Abandoned Coal Mine Reclamation. The Budget includes anadditional $50 million for the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization(AMLER) grants program, which supports abandoned coal mine reclamationprojects that have a nexus to local economic development and to the creation ofhigh-paying union jobs. AMLER grants are distributed to six Appalachian Statesand three Tribes with the highest number of unfunded Priority 1 and Priority 2 Abandoned Mine Land (AML) sites. The total grant amount available during FY 2022 will be $165 million.
• Provide Funds to Combat the Climate Crisis. The Budget proposes $1.4million in funding towards the transition to zero emission vehicles which willreduce transportation-related emissions and further combat the climate crisis.
• Provide Relief to Local Communities. The Budget also includes $785,000 toprotect society from the effects of past surface coal mining. These additionalfunds will allow OSMRE to address unforeseen Federal emergency reclamationprojects, enabling OSMRE to provide immediate relief from emerging hazardsin States and on Indian lands without an approved AML program.
Enacting the President’s Budget policies into law this year would strengthen our nation’s economy and lay the foundation for shared prosperity.
For more information on the President’s FY 2022 Budget, please visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/.
-- OSMRE --
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) carries out the requirements of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 in cooperation with States and Tribes. OSMRE’s objectives are to ensure that coal mining activities are conducted in a manner that protects citizens and the environment during mining, to ensure that the land is restored to beneficial use after mining, and to mitigate the effects of past mining by aggressively pursuing reclamation of abandoned coal mines.
Original source can be found here.
