In November 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which made historic investments in the reclamation of land and water damaged by the coal industry before 1977. We have found that while the bill will only address about half of...
Eric Dixon
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Manchin Infrastructure Bill Needs More Focus on Labor, AML Funding Distribution
On Friday, US Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released a new version of his proposed energy infrastructure package. The previous version of his proposal included $11.3 billion in federal funds to clean up damage from Abandoned Mine Lands (AMLs) across the country. The new...
Appalachia Could Address Poverty and Build Worker Power by Reforesting Mine-scarred Land
This post is the second in a four-part series based on a recent ORVI report on abandoned mine land (AML) issues. Figures cited below can be found in the accompanying report. Abandoned coal mines have damaged thousands of acres of land, polluted hundreds of miles of...
Repairing the Damage: Cleaning Up the Land, Air, and Water Damaged by the Coal Industry Before 1977
Cleaning up Appalachia’s thousands of acres of abandoned mine lands could create jobs, reduce climate-warming emissions, improve quality of life, and minimize environmental damage.
The true cost of cleaning up historic damage from the coal industry
This afternoon, Congress will hold a hearing on a slew of bills that seek to clean up land and water damaged by the coal industry before it was regulated in 1977. The hearing rightly highlights the urgency of reauthorizing fees on coal production that fund cleanup,...