For years, the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program has been one of the only federal grant programs targeted at revitalizing coal mining communities. It’s now being funded at its highest level to date and is getting a spruce-up from the federal agency that administers it.
Today, President Joe Biden released his Fiscal Year 2024 budget to fund government programs through September 2024. The budget proposal includes crucial investments in programs to boost economic growth in the coalfields, ensure coal mine reclamation and protect miners from black lung disease.
Today, the Biden Administration announced the first list of federal programs that are part of its Justice40 initiative, representing more than 200 programs and billions of dollars in federal spending.
Today, community leaders from coal-impacted communities launched a joint effort to urge the Biden Administration to nominate and confirm a director for Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.
CONTACT: Dan Radmacher, (540) 798-6683), dan@appvoices.org Trey Pollard, 202-904-9187, trey@pollardcommunications.com APPALACHIA — More than a dozen community groups from across coal country announced their support of U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb’s RENEW (Revitalize, Enhance, and Nurture in Expanded Ways Our Abandoned…
The system to ensure that surface mines get cleaned up and restored is under intense strain as the coal industry declines, leading to dangerous conditions at many mines and putting taxpayers at risk of having to foot the bill eventually.
Coal mine regulations have not kept up with the industry’s collapse, leaving regulators without the money – or the legal tools – to address growing problems of scarred landscapes and polluted waters.
Numerous Appalachian coal-bearing communities have passed resolutions calling on federal legislators to pass a bill that would reauthorize a program that funds cleanup of abandoned mine lands.
