$144 Million Given by Biden-Harris: Paving Good-Paying Union Sala- ries: Reviving Coal Groups

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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.

Secretary 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

Eligible states and Tribes apply for grants to access money in their allocations once the annual AML grant distribution was announced. The following is the available AML Reclamation funds for fiscal year 2022: economies by supporting well-paying union jobs and correcting hazardous environmental conditions and pollution caused by legacy coal projects.

"Our country's economic prosperity has been fueled by hardworking coalfield communities for decades. "However, long after coal businesses have moved on, those same families endure the weight of hazardous pollution, toxic water levels, and land subsidence," added Secretary Haaland.

"As part of an all-of-government approach to revitalizing these towns as they confront the lingering effects of extractive industries, President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes critical investments to assist clean up legacy pollution." I appreciate the federal, state, local, and labor leaders who joined us today to talk about how government resources and partnerships can help towns across the state create jobs." "President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will create good-paying employment and economic opportunities, particularly for workers in energy areas," Landrieu, White House Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator stated.

"By reclaiming abandoned mine lands, we can enhance local water quality, reduce flooding, solve environmental injustice, and open up new opportunities for renewable energy projects, all while creating well-paying jobs for the individuals who worked in these mines."

AML financing allows states to pursue abandoned mine land cleanup initiatives, which could help reduce methane emissions, which are big factors of climate change. This financing is part of the Biden-Harris administration's extraordinary investments in coal, oil, and gas towns, as well as the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant

State/Tribe Amount Allocated Alabama $2,829,000 Alaska $2,829,000 Arkansas $2,829,000 Colorado $2,829,000

Illinois $9,689,419 Indiana $3,944,417

Iowa $2,829,000 Kansas $2,829,000 Kentucky $8,889,292 Louisiana $25,279

Maryland $2,829,000 Mississippi $99,709 Missouri $2,829,000 Montana $3,287,963 New Mexico $2,829,000 North Dakota $2,829,000

Ohio $4,699,156 Pennsylvania $26,463,897 Tennessee $2,829,000

Texas $732,134

Utah $2,829,000 Virginia $2,960,771 West Virginia $18,480,441 Wyoming $30,415,530 Crow Tribe $216,529 Navajo Nation $525,510

Total $144,378,047