Coal

Mine Reclamation

Senator Rockefeller has strongly supported efforts to reclaim abandoned mines to mitigate environmental degradation and to alleviate health issues for people living or working around those sites. Through the Abandoned Mine Land Program, the federal government transfers to states fees paid by coal companies to clean up these sites, many of which have been out of service and created hazardous conditions and environmental degradation for decades.

Rockefeller recently succeeded in securing an unprecedented $6 billion in funding for the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) program - with $1 billion for West Virginia - which will go a long way toward helping states clean up the effects of old mines.