WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is making $369 million available to states and tribes to restore abandoned coal mines, an increase of over $70 million from last year.
The 28 eligible coal-producing states and tribes receive these grants by formula, based on both their past and present coal production. The 21 non-certified states, those that have active reclamation programs, will use these grants to fund projects that fill mine shafts and address other safety hazards and environmental problems resulting from lands mined and abandoned or left inadequately restored before the passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.
“These grants have consistently provided well-paying jobs in America's economically depressed coal mining areas,” Salazar said. “It is estimated that OSM's Abandoned Mine Lands program created thousands of new jobs last year alone, and this year's increased funding will put more Americans to work and help them find their way out of this recession. Restoring lands and waters affected by past mining practices keeps jobs in areas hard hit by the economic downturn.”
“Over the past 30 years, OSM, working with states, tribes, and our Good Samaritan partners, has reclaimed more land and restored more streams than any other Federal agency,” said Joe Pizarchik, OSM Director. “Since its inception, OSM and its state and tribal partners have invested over $6.8 billion to reclaim more than 220,000 acres of abandoned mine lands.”
Despite this progress, considerable work remains to eliminate health, safety, and environmental problems caused by past mining practices. “I encourage our partners to reexamine the remaining environmental problems and look at them as renewable energy opportunities,” Pizarchik added. “For example, can an abandoned mine be reclaimed to prepare a site for renewable energy? Can water tainted by acid discharges from an abandoned mine be treated and used as a source of geothermal energy?”
The Abandoned Mine Land program is funded through fees assessed on annual coal production and pays the costs of these reclamation projects. The 21 non-certified states apply to OSM for specific reclamation projects throughout the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, 2010. The seven certified states and tribes, those that have completed their reclamation programs, can use these funds for any purpose; therefore, the FY 2010 Budget proposed to terminate these grants to reduce the deficit.
The following list shows the funds available to eligible states and tribes for Fiscal Year 2010.
Alabama $ 6,970,619
Alaska $ 2,389,351
Arkansas $ 2,307,179
Colorado $ 7,383,764
Illinois $ 16,141,707
Indiana $ 13,019,930
Iowa $ 2,441,308
Kansas $ 2,425,375
Kentucky $ 37,591,345
Louisiana $ 334,774
Maryland $ 2,630,409
Mississippi $ 242,357
Missouri $ 2,488,655
Montana $ 10,673,897
New Mexico $ 4,503,074
North Dakota $ 3,398,697
Ohio $ 11,617,294
Oklahoma $ 2,473,207
Pennsylvania $ 43,807,638
Tennessee $ 2,571,868
Texas $ 4,147,548
Utah $ 4,181,061
Virginia $ 8,651,897
West Virginia $ 49,917,175
Wyoming $117,352,070
Crow Tribe $ 1,816,094
Hopi Tribe $ 1,101,928
Navajo Nation $ 6,505,765
Fiscal Year 2010 Abandoned Mine Land Grant Distributions
Source: Department of Interior
