Feds send cash boost to Kansas for legacy pollution cleanup

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Federal dollars are being allocated to the Sunflower State for the creation of jobs and reinvigorate economic opportunities in legacy coal communities.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) said in a press release that almost $725 million is now available for dispersal among 22 states and the Navajo Nation. This comes from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which provides $11.3 billion in abandoned mine land (AML) funding for more than 15 years.

The funds wll be used to help communities clean up dangerous environmental conditions and pollution from past coal mining, according to the DOI. The funds are expected to enable reclamation of the majority of abandoned mine lands across the nation. The state of Kansas will receive a little more than $4,852,000 through AML funds.

“These historic investments are all part of the Administration’s all-of-government approach to support communities as they address the lingering impacts of extractive industries and transition to a clean energy future,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Laura Daniel-Davis. “To help address these dangerous hazards and toxic pollution that continues to have an impact on our communities, we encourage all eligible states and Tribes to submit grant applications.”

The DOI said AML projects support vital jobs through the investment of projects that close dangerous mine shafts, reclaim unstable slopes, prevent releases of harmful gases like methane, improve water quality and restore water supplies damaged by mining. AML projects also help economic revitalization by rehabilitating hazardous land so it can be used for recreational facilities or other economic redevelopment uses.