By Dan Radmacher, Appalachian Voices

As the Appalachian region is experiencing intense rainfall this week, the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is not processing state requests seeking approval for abandoned mine land reclamation projects, according to state agency officials and congressional staff. This is part of an ongoing federal funding freeze that is defying court orders. State offices of mine reclamation are not able to access funds or get authorizations to proceed with reclamation projects because the funds were provided in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the federal agency is still freezing funds provided through the 2022 law.

Heavy rainfall and thawing ground as temperatures warm often lead to new or worsened AML problems, such as subsidence and landslides.

Statement by Matt Hepler, Environmental Scientist for Appalachian Voices:
“Abandoned mine land projects are essential for improving community safety, creating jobs and addressing decades of pollution. These efforts not only restore the environment but also provide critical economic support to affected areas. The decision to freeze funding at such a crucial time raises serious concerns, as it jeopardizes ongoing remediation work.” 

Statement by Chelsea Barnes, Director of Government Affairs and Strategy: 
“The Abandoned Mine Land Program has broad bipartisan support, with a decades-long record of creating jobs and improving safety for the millions of people who live near abandoned coal mines. We urge Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement to restart the crucial Abandoned Mine Land Program immediately.”

BACKGROUND
Abandoned mine lands are coal mining sites that were mined prior to Congress’ 1977 passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Before that law, coal companies were not required to remediate damaged land and water after mining to protect nearby communities, a process known as reclamation. To reclaim the thousands of pre-1977 mine sites, the law set up the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program where current coal companies pay a fee per ton of coal mined to support cleanup of the industry’s decades-old abandoned sites.

The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law extended the AML fee on coal mined and also infused $11.2 billion in the fund to address a significant backlog of abandoned mine lands in need of reclamation. State and Tribal governments use this funding to hire local contractors to address environmental and safety hazards at abandoned mine land sites.