DEP Receives $29.35 Million In Federal Funding To Support Abandoned Mine Land Economy Revitalization

On March 9, the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement announced the award of FY 2023 of $135 million in Abandoned Mine Land Revitalization (AMLER) grants to states.

Pennsylvania was awarded $29.35 million.

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 welfare of communities. Abandoned mine land problems include clogged streams, dangerous piles or embankments, dangerous highwalls, underground mine fires and polluted water.

“AMLER grants offer opportunities for economic revitalization, community development and the creation of good-paying jobs, while addressing long-standing hazards and environmental degradation in coal communities in America,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Laura Daniel-Davis. “Combined with historic investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, we are delivering the largest investment in tackling legacy pollution in American history.”

For more information on this program in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program webpage.

(Photos: Cambria County Coal Waste Reclamation Project “Path of The Flood Trail”)

Related Article:

-- DEP Opens Next Round Of Federally-Funded Abandoned Mine Reclamation Grants For Locally-Sponsored Projects March 6

[Posted: March 9, 2023]  PA Environment Digest