Coal Communities Say Congress Is Breaking Its Promise on Mine Cleanup

Coal country leaders are warning that a proposed funding rollback could derail long-promised efforts to clean up abandoned coal mines and polluted waterways across Appalachia.

When Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, it authorized more than $11 billion over 15 years to reclaim abandoned mine lands. States like West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Illinois stood to benefit the most, with West Virginia alone expected to receive about $2.1 billion.

But advocates say that promise is now at risk.

Last week, the U.S. House passed an appropriations bill that would claw back $500 million from the abandoned mine land (AML) cleanup program. The bill still must clear the Senate and be signed by the president. If approved, the withdrawn money would be redirected to wildland fire management and U.S. Forest Service operations.

“We’re horribly disappointed,” said Amanda Pitzer, executive director of Friends of the Cheat in West Virginia. “Less money means less reclamation, period.”

Environmental groups say the states hit hardest would be Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Illinois and Kentucky. In Pennsylvania alone, abandoned coal mines have polluted more than 5,500 miles of waterways, with 45 of the state’s 67 counties affected. State officials estimate it would take $5 billion to fully address the damage.

Critics argue the funding cut would slow projects that treat acid mine drainage, stabilize land, protect drinking water, and create jobs in economically struggling communities.

“The AML fund is not a slush fund,” Pitzer said. “This was a promise made to these communities, and raiding the fund is breaking that promise.”

Former federal mining officials and regional advocates also warned that reduced cleanup efforts hurt tourism, economic development and public safety, leaving coal communities to continue living with the environmental costs of decades-old mining operations.

“This may be a drop in the bucket to the federal government,” said Bobby Hughes of the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation. “But to us, it’s a vital lifeline.”