U.S. Announces Over $140 Million to Tackle Legacy Pollution In West Virginia

The U.S. Interior Department on Nov. 7 announced over $140 million in funding for fiscal year 2024 to tackle polluting and abandoned mine lands, or AML, and spur economic development in coal communities across West Virginia.  With this, more than $492 million in fiscal year 2024 awards have been allocated nationwide. Additional funding will be granted to eligible states as they apply on a rolling basis.

Last month, the department announced over $244 million and $74 million funding for fiscal year 2024 to address similar issues across coal communities in Pennsylvania and Kentucky, respectively. In September, the department announced funding for Wyoming ($9.7 million), Maryland ($4.8 million) and Colorado ($9.9 million).

The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides $11.3 billion in grants for states and Tribes to reclaim abandoned coal mines, with $25 million for updating abandoned mine land inventories. The also allocates $4.7 billion for plugging, remediating, and restoring orphaned wells, creating jobs and supporting the clean energy transition. This includes $4.3 billion for wells on state and private lands, $250 million for public lands like parks and forests, and $150 million for Tribal lands.

The announcement builds on over $280 million allocated to West Virginia for the AML reclamation since the enactment of the law. AML reclamation supports coal communities by investing in projects that shutdown hazardous mine shafts, enhance water quality by treating acid mine drainage, retrieve unstable slopes and restore water supplied negatively impacted by mining. Moreover, funding is expected to favour projects that provide employment opportunities to both current and former employees of the coal industry.