The U.S. Department of the Interior recently awarded Pennsylvania $26.6 million through the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) Program.
The program allocates funds to the six Appalachian states with the highest number of unfunded, high-priority abandoned mine land problems and three Tribes with approved abandoned mine land (AML) programs.
Pennsylvania has one-third of the AML in the United States. Approximately 43 of the 67 counties are affected by abandoned coal mines.
The state will use the funds to address the long-term hazards and environmental pollution posed by legacy mining sites.
“For many Pennsylvania communities, abandoned mine land has led to environmental hazards like polluted waterways, property damage, and underground mine fire,” U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) said. “This grant funding will be instrumental in rehabilitating abandoned mine land and investing in the health and safety of Pennsylvania communities. I will continue fighting to bring infrastructure investments to Pennsylvania to ensure we can address the effects of legacy mining sites and support coal communities.”
Pennsylvania will be eligible to receive more than $3 billion over the next 15 years through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and formula funding to clean up AML.
Earlier this year, the state was awarded $270 million.