Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $6 Million from Investing in America Agenda to Address Legacy Pollution and Spur Economic Growth in Iowa

WASHINGTON -- The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement today announced nearly $6 million in fiscal year 2024 funding from President Biden's Investing in America agenda to address dangerous and polluting abandoned mine lands (AML), create good-paying, family-sustaining jobs, and catalyze economic opportunity in Iowa.

Additionally, Iowa received nearly $300,000 to update its abandoned mine land inventory to support future remediation efforts.

Millions of Americans nationwide live less than a mile from an abandoned coal mine. The President's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides a total of $16 billion to address legacy pollution, including nearly $11.3 billion in AML funding over 15 years, facilitated by OSMRE. This historic funding is expected to address nearly all of the currently inventoried abandoned coal mine lands in the nation, which will help communities address and eliminate dangerous conditions and pollution caused by historic coal mining.

"The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law infuses coal communities with the funding necessary to turn past pollution into future prosperity," said Principal Deputy Director Sharon Buccino. "This historic funding is making people safer, cleaning up the environment and creating jobs. Outcomes these communities need and deserve."

Today's announcement builds on nearly $12 million from President Biden's Investing in America agenda allocated to Iowa in fiscal years 2022 and 2023. In the first two years of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law AML program, over $1.4 billion in awards have been provided to 22 states and Tribes.

AML reclamation supports jobs in coal communities by investing in projects that close dangerous mine shafts, reclaim unstable slopes, improve water quality by treating acid mine

drainage, and restore water supplies damaged by mining. Awards can also enable economic revitalization by reclaiming hazardous land for recreational facilities and other redevelopment, such as advanced manufacturing and renewable energy deployment.

This funding is a part of the Biden-Harris administration's unprecedented investments in communities and workers to support an equitable transition to a sustainable economy and healthier environment after the closure of mines or power plants. This effort also advances the President's Justice40 Initiative to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that have been historically marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Additionally, reclaiming abandoned coal mines is a pillar of the Biden-Harris administration's Methane Action Plan, which includes historic efforts to reduce methane emissions-one of the biggest drivers of climate change-while creating jobs and promoting American innovation.

- OSMRE -

OSMRE carries out the requirements of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 in cooperation with states and Tribes. OSMRE's objectives are to ensure that coal mining activities are conducted in a manner that protects citizens and the environment during mining, to ensure that the land is restored to beneficial use after mining, and to mitigate the effects of past mining by aggressively pursuing reclamation of abandoned coal mines. For more information, visit www.osmre.gov or connect with us through any of these social media channels: Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.

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