PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) – Pennsylvania will receive $26.67 million to develop abandoned mine land to make it available for recreation, business or energy projects.
One-third of the nation’s abandoned mine land is in Pennsylvania – encompassing about 43 of the state’s 67 counties. Abandoned mines pose immediate threats to the health, safety and welfare of communities. Some of the problems include clogged streams, dangerous embankments and highwalls, and polluted water.
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Pennsylvania is one of six states receiving $130 million from the Interior Department’s Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program for the 2024 fiscal year.
“Too many Pennsylvania communities still face the environmental hazards of abandoned mine land – polluted waterways, property damage, and underground mine fire,” Sen Bob Casey (D-PA), said in a statement. “Thanks to this funding, we can keep cleaning up this land, protecting our environment, and delivering a boost to Pennsylvania local economies with new, good-paying jobs.”
Besides solving pollution problems, the funding is intended to provide jobs after the closures of mines or power plants throughout the country.
Kentucky, Pennsylvania and West Virginia will each receive $28.67 million; Alabama, Ohio and Virginia will each receive $11 million; and the Crow Tribe, Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation will each receive $3.67 million.
The funding is part of President Biden’s Infrastructure Law, which included a total of $16 billion for legacy pollution.
In March 2024, Senator Casey announced that $90 million of that funding was designated to build solar facilities on former land minds in Clearfield County. That project is expected to produce enough energy to power 70,000 homes per year.
