Warner & Kaine Announce $22,780,000 in Funding to Reclaim Abandoned Mine Lands in Virginia

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $22,780,000 in Fiscal Year 2023 funding to reclaim abandoned mine lands (AML) in Virginia. The funding will clean up pollution caused by past coal mining and help create good-paying jobs. It was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which the senators voted to pass in 2021. This is the second allotment of funding awarded to Virginia from the infrastructure law.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making a real difference for so many Virginians,” said the senators. “This funding is great news for Virginia’s mining communities and will help clean up hazardous pollution and boost economic opportunities for years to come.”

AML reclamation projects supported by this funding will close dangerous mine shafts, reclaim unstable slopes, improve water quality by treating acid mine drainage, and restore water supplies damaged by mining. The projects will eliminate dangerous environmental conditions and pollution caused by past coal mining, including by remediating abandoned mines that are leaking methane. Through these projects, hazardous lands can be reclaimed into recreational facilities and targeted for other economic redevelopment uses like advanced manufacturing and renewable energy deployment.

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