A top official at the U.S. Department of the Interior was in Richmond Thursday to announce millions of dollars to help reclaim abandoned coal mines from Wise to Chesterfield Counties.
Acting Deputy Secretary of the Interior Laura Daniel-Davis was joined by Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Director of the Department of Energy, former Delegate Glenn Davis, to announce the nearly $23 million in funds made available thanks to the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Davis said the money will go towards training and creating much needed jobs in the region.
“These jobs will be created where they need them the most," Davis said. "Our coal impacted communities, our disadvantaged communities and our communities that need an economic boost.”
Coal mine reclamation has long gotten the short end of the funding stick in Virginia. Such projects were originally funded by fees paid for every ton of coal mined. But as coal production slowed, so did the fees. But now, thanks to these funds, millions are expected to flow into the over 3000 – and counting – reclamation projects across the state.
“Now, a lot of big projects we couldn’t do," said Randy Moore, director of Virginia's Coal Programs. "You know, we didn’t have the money; now we have it to go back and do those and to take care of most of the problems that we have out there.”
Moore was joined by Lesa Baker, Project Coordinator for the state’s abandoned land mine repurposing effort. She said the first round of funding, also about $22 million, helped local businesses train and start up new reclamation operations. There’s been little work done so far, but the new funds are still expected to help.
“We gotta get out there and get them fixed cause that’s restoring the safety,” Baker said.
Other projects targeted in the short-term include Winterpock in Chesterfield and the Camp Creek Landslide site in Clintwood.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
