Interior approves $2.8 million to reclaim and repurpose abandoned coal mines

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced today the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) awarded funding totaling $2,823,000 to reclaim and repurpose abandoned coal mines in North Dakota. This Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Reclamation grant award comes through the DOI Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE).

OSMRE provides AML grants to the 25 coal-producing states and three tribes based on a congressionally mandated formula that evaluates past and current coal production by these entities. Under the AML Reclamation Program, OSMRE has distributed billions in grants to states and tribes. The funds have directly contributed to AML Reclamation Program achievements including the closure of over 45,000 abandoned underground mine shafts and openings, the elimination of over 960 miles of dangerous highwalls and the restoration of over 850,000 acres of clogged streams and land.