Feds announce $679 million in coal cleanup grants despite recent Congressional cuts to the program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Eric Dixon [email protected], (865) 202-8688 Feds announce $679 million in coal cleanup grants despite recent Congressional cuts to the program Recent ORVI report shows coal cleanup supports jobs in struggling labor markets in KY LOUISVILLE, Kentucky —— The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement recently announced the latest round of […]
Breaking down how much Congress cut AML funds by state
In January Congress passed a “minibus” bill that raided $500 million in previously appropriated coal mine cleanup funds to pay for other federal programs. We’re now seeing the first results of that bill: $45.5 million less in mine cleanup funding every year for the next 11 years. Combined with growing inflation, this means fewer jobs […]
Repairing the Damage in Kentucky
Kentucky’s coal mine reclamation market has grown 360% since the BIL, but the need for greater union density & more market competition remains.
Congress is trying to loot America’s fund to clean up dangerous mines
In a “minibus” bill released by the House Appropriations Committee this week, legislators are attempting to loot $500 million from the bipartisan fund used to clean up the country’s land and water polluted by coal mining. The bill would transfer $500 million in previously appropriated cleanup funds to pay for other federal programs. Since 1977 […]
Damage Control: AML Reclamation Funding Freeze Puts Projects, Jobs in Jeopardy
In the past three years, the Department of the Interior has awarded about $3 billion to reclamation agencies across the country for the purpose of cleaning up land and water damaged by the coal industry. Reclamation projects funded by Abandoned Mine Land (AML) grant funding are now in jeopardy, as the Trump Administration has halted […]
Spotlight: Nadiatu Issaka, 2023 Summer Research Fellow
Nadiatu Issaka joined ORVI’s team in June 2023 as our inaugural Summer Research Fellow. We sat down with Nadiatu at the end of the summer to learn more about her research, her interests in weightlifting and coding, and her motivation for building a better future in Appalachia, in Ghana, and beyond. Where are you […]
Here’s How Appalachian States Can Create “Good-Paying, Union Jobs” Cleaning Up Mines.
In March, Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) hosted the Secretaries of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy on a tour of West Virginia’s coalfields. After visiting a proposed steel mill in Mason County, they visited a center that educates the public about stream restoration and native wildlife. West Virginia’s need for resources […]
Can the Infrastructure Law Create “Good-Paying, Union Jobs” Cleaning Up Coal Mines? Not Without Policy Action.
“After decades of delay and decline, America’s workers stand ready to rebuild our country.” That’s what AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as she joined President Joe Biden in the Rose Garden. At the signing ceremony, the President underlined how workers would now have the chance to take advantage of historic […]
How to Clean Up the Most Damage with New Federal Investments in Abandoned Mines
Congress made an historic investment in coal abandoned mine land (AML) cleanup with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). In the coming months, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) will issue the official guidance regarding implementation of the new IIJA AML money, and hopefully that guidance will provide clarification on some […]
Coal Mine Cleanup in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Explained
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 the remaining damage across the country, the investments are the largest in […]