$1 BILLION TO CLEAN UP WV'S ABANDONED MINES

(12/22/2006)

Thousands of abandoned mines left by coal companies over many years will be targeted for clean-up during the next 18 years. The federal government has appropriated $946 million for the clean up of old mining sites in the USA between next year and the year 2025. State Department of Environmental Protection Chief Communications Officer Jessica Greathouse says the state currently spends $20 million a year on old mine clean up. Next year WV will receive $18 million more. The additional allocation will ramp-up to $90 million a year before decreasing to nearly $5 million in 2024. The money for the project comes from a per-ton fee placed on coal companies. Some of the money will also be used to finance health care benefits for the oldest retired union coal miners. Greathouse says mine reclamation includes building new water lines for people who have bad water because of acid mine drainage from old mines. Work also focuses on closing old portals, repairing mine subsidence and putting out mine refuse fires. She says West Virginia has nearly a $1 billion liability in abandoned mine lands. She says the additional funding could take care of most of those projects. Reclamation contractors are in line to pick-up a lot of business with the increase in the federal funding. Greathouse says, "Some people may choose to get into the business, others will just be a lot busier because there are going to be more projects out there." Abandoned mine lands include any area mined prior to 1977.

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