Virginia is receiving almost $22.8 million in federal funds to help reclaim abandoned mine land, according to a Wednesday announcement from Governor Glenn Youngkin. In February, Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) announced that the funding is possible, thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021.
“We are excited to get to work and assist in getting others back to work with this announcement of federal funds,” Youngkin said in his release. “Creating jobs in coal-impacted communities is a priority and through the reclamation and repurposing of these mined lands, we hope to see an additional economic activity for properties that can become suitable for development.”
Virginia’s Abandoned Mine Land Program (AML) was created in the late 1970s to address coal mine-related problems at sites operated before December 15, 1981, with no individual responsible to reclaim the site, according to a Virginia Department of Energy website. AML operates with federal funds. Youngkin’s press release highlights the potential for job creation through the new $22,790,000 for the program, which has many potential projects awaiting funding.
“Since 2017, Virginia Energy’s traditional AML program has created 792 jobs, adding an average of 100 jobs every five years. The AML program typically receives around $4 million annually. Based on that funding, these additional dollars are projected to create more than one thousand jobs,” Youngkin’s release states.
“This investment into Virginia mining communities will not only create good paying jobs, but will also revitalize energy communities by reclaiming abandoned, unsafe lands for new use,” Kaine and Warner said in their press release. “We are proud to see Virginia’s mining communities continue to reap the benefits of the infrastructure law passed by Congress and signed by President Biden.”
The senator’s press release says the funding will go to projects to close shafts, improve water quality, restore water supplies, address mines that are leaking methane, and reclaim unstable slopes. The land can then be used for recreational facilities or other redevelopment.
“Southwest Virginia has a ready workforce to complete the numerous infrastructure projects in Virginia,” Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick said in Youngkin’s release. “Our agency prides itself on economic development in this region and we will aid in continued job increases over the next 15 years with this specific funding.”
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Virginia Mine at Cedar Creek” by Rob Shenk CC3.0
