Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcem : OSMRE Provides Nearly $225 Million in Funding for States and Tribes to Reclaim Abandoned Coal Mines

OSMRE Provides Nearly $225 Million in Funding for States and Tribes to Reclaim Abandoned Coal Mines

January 14, 2016 Contact: Christopher Holmes

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OSMRE Provides Nearly $225 Million in Funding for States and Tribes to Reclaim Abandoned Coal Mines

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) today announced the availability of nearly $225 million in Fiscal Year 2016 (FY 2016) funding to states and tribes to reclaim abandoned coal mine sites.

The Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Fund provides funding for state and tribal AML programs to correct environmental damage from past mining, such as reclaiming unstable slopes, improving water quality by treating acid mine drainage, and restoring water supplies damaged by mining, among other things. States and tribes receive grant allocations according to a congressionally mandated formula established by the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act.

"The Abandoned Mine Land Fund grants are used to address longstanding environmental problems across the United States," said OSMRE Director Joe Pizarchik. "If we're going to address the negative effects of past mining, we must continue to aggressively pursue reclamation of abandoned coal mines."

There are twenty-eight coal-producing states and tribes that receive annual AML grants, which are funded in part by a per-ton reclamation fee levied on all coal produced in the United States. Additional funding comes from the U.S. Treasury.

During FY 2016, eligible states and tribes will apply for the reclamation funds for projects that address identified AML problems within their jurisdictions and OSMRE will make the respective award amounts available for approved applications. The FY 2016 funding available to states and tribes is as follows:

State/Tribe	Total Mandatory
	Distribution
Alabama	4,366,123
Alaska	2,796,000
Arkansas	2,796,000
Colorado	3,078,701
Illinois	15,652,947
Indiana	7,361,489
Iowa	2,796,000
Kansas	2,796,000
Kentucky	17,088,577
Louisiana	142,468
Maryland	2,796,000
Mississippi	111,043
Missouri	2,796,000
Montana	4,429,969
New Mexico	2,796,000
North Dakota	2,796,000
Ohio	8,792,229
Oklahoma	2,796,000
Pennsylvania	42,982,188
Tennessee	2,796,000
Texas	1,451,110
Utah	1,467,109
Virginia	4,692,471
West Virginia	29,707,822
Wyoming	52,913,417
Crow Tribe	795,522
Hopi Tribe	316,845
Navajo Nation	1,313,001
National Total	$224,623,031

This mandatory grant distribution represents 93.2 percent of the total calculated amount of $238,171,200. The FY 2016 sequestration of mandatory Federal budgetary resources withheld 6.8 percent of the AML grant funds available in the current fiscal year.