Date and time: Thursday, October 24, 2024
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov
WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior and the Office of Open Pit Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) today announced that President Biden’s investment plan for the United States will expand fiscal year 2024 to address hazardous, contaminated, abandoned mine sites and create high-income land. announced more than $244 million in funding. , providing family-supporting jobs and promoting economic opportunity for coal communities across Pennsylvania. This is the state’s largest annual allocation under the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Program and is funded by a once-in-a-generation investment of $11.3 billion in AML funds provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. will be done.
Communities once supported by the coal industry are now contaminated by abandoned mine lands, leaching toxic substances into land and waterways, causing subsidence and structural problems, and fueling underground mine fires. It’s causing it. This funding will ensure that coal communities are not left behind but revitalized by the jobs created for displaced coal workers, economic opportunities, and the clean air and water provided by these cleanup projects. Masu.
“Thanks to President Biden’s investment policy in America, we have a unique opportunity to address nearly every documented abandoned mine hazard across the country,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. . “These historic resources are helping the Interior Department address years of environmental damage, clean up hazardous sites, create good-paying jobs, and revitalize former coal communities.”
“The Biden-Harris Administration has made historic progress in investing in the energy communities that have powered our nation for years,” said White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “Reclamation will not only make the landscape cleaner and safer, it will also create good-paying jobs and promote economic opportunity that lifts Pennsylvania’s middle class.” These investments will allow Pennsylvania communities to position land that is currently fenced and idle for future manufacturing facilities and clean energy infrastructure. This investment to clean up Pennsylvania’s legacy pollution is a win for the environment, a win for our communities, and a win for our local economies. ”
Funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Act is expected to address nearly all of the nation’s current inventory of abandoned coal mine sites, allowing communities to avoid the dangers caused by historic coal mining. Helps deal with and eliminate situations and contamination.
“The bipartisan Infrastructure Act injects coal communities with the funding they need to turn the pollution of the past into a thriving future,” said OSMRE Principal Deputy Director Sharon Buccino. “This historic funding is keeping people safe, cleaning the environment, and creating jobs. These are the outcomes these communities need and deserve.”
Today’s announcement builds on more than $489.7 million from President Biden’s Invest in America Plan allocated to Pennsylvania for AML recovery in fiscal years 2022 and 2023. Funds will be awarded to additional eligible states on a rolling basis upon request.
AML Reclamation supports jobs in coal regions by investing in projects such as closing dangerous mine shafts, rehabilitating unstable slopes, treating acid mine drainage to improve water quality, and restoring water supplies damaged by mining. I’m doing it. The award will also enable the economy to be boosted by reclaiming hazardous land for redevelopment, including recreational facilities, advanced manufacturing and the introduction of renewable energy. As directed by the bipartisan Infrastructure Act, funding will prioritize projects that employ current and former coal industry employees.
This funding is part of an unprecedented investment in communities and workers by the Biden-Harris administration to support a just transition to a sustainable economy and healthier environment after mines and power plants close. . The effort also builds on the President’s Justice 40 Initiative, which sets a goal of providing 40 percent of the total benefits from certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and disproportionately burdened by pollution. It is also something that moves us forward. Additionally, reviving abandoned coal mines is one of the pillars of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Methane Action Plan, which includes creating high-wage jobs and fostering American innovation while combating climate change. This includes historic efforts to reduce methane emissions, one of the biggest contributors.
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