Skillings Mining Review April 2022

Page 18

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$144 Million Given by Biden-Harris: Paving Good-Paying Union Salaries: Reviving Coal Groups Secretary Haaland and Infrastructure Coordinator Landrieu visited Ohio to promote President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure legislation, which includes funds to reclaim abandoned mine lands.

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ecretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and White House Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu announced more than $144 million in funding for abandoned mine land (AML) reclamation activities in the fiscal year 2022 during a visit to Ohio last month. This comes on top of the $725 million commitment announced in February as part of President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to speed up the cleanup of abandoned mine areas around the country. The Secretary's visit is integral to a multistate, multi-month tour of Appalachia to underscore how these important infrastructure investments will ensure that our people have healthy lands and streams in their communities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law extended the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement's (OSMRE) power to collect AML fees until September 30, 2034, and decreased reclamation fees by 20%, assuring a revenue source for AML grants until 2035. These funds assist local communities in reviving their 18 | SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW April 2022


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