Abandoned Mine Lands

Heavy rain events bring mud, landslides, and anxiety for people who live in flood-prone areas, including those who are next to former coal mines.45 years after federal legislation passed to force coal companies to reclaim the land, numerous sites from before 1977 continue to wreak havoc on the landscape. A law passed in 1977 was supposed to force companies to reclaim land. But much of the damage before the 70s still hasn’t been repaired.

Virginia is getting a boost of funding to repair sites that were damaged from coal mining before 1977. The state is expected to receive an additional $22.7 million each year for the next 15 years for its Abandoned Mine Lands Program, or AML, as part of a bipartisan infrastructure bill that Congress passed last year.