May 17, 2022
Funding will support economic development in former coal communities
Manchin, Capito Announce $26.63 Million for Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Projects in West Virginia
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.
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