Economic development funding available for abandoned mine program

The sixth round of funding is now available from the Virginia Department of Energy for the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Congressman Morgan Griffith announced the funding today, which provides $10.6 million for projects to enable economic development with mine reclamation.

“We have big plans for southwest Virginia and this funding is a great way to build on economic successes that are underway and provide opportunity for those with innovative ideas for the economy,” Youngkin said. “AMLER has contributed to projects which are directly improving the lives of Virginians.”

Letters of Intent will be accepted through June 2, 2023, and applications through July 14, 2023. Applications and information are available online, and should be submitted electronically at [email protected].

“The AMLER Program provides our communities in Southwest Virginia with opportunities to reuse old mine lands for new and exciting purposes. This federal funding that I have championed goes towards projects that will contribute to job creation, economic growth, and environmental renewal in the coalfields, improving the quality of life for its residents,” Griffith said.

Overseen by Virginia Energy, the grant comes from the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement (OSMRE), and the office has final approval over recommended projects. Funding has been provided for AMLER every year since 2017. Proposed projects should be proposed on land that includes features associated with coal mining that occurred before 1977, and have the greatest potential to achieve economic develop goals in southwest Virginia’s coalfields.

“AMLER is unique in that it has the potential to make land available to developers that once was not,” Virginia Energy Acting Director Will Clear said. “A majority of the projects chosen for this funding also reclaim problems left behind by historic coal mining. So, we get the economic piece, an improvement in public safety and an environmental gain all through one program.”