Biden administration spending $725 million to clean abandoned coal mines

The Department of the Interior announced on Monday that nearly $725 million in federal funding is available to 22 states and the Navajo Nation to create jobs that will clean up abandoned coal mines.

The reclamation of abandoned mine lands will serve as part of President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will allocate a total of $11.3 billion in the funding over 15 years. The department said in a press release the funding allocation is expected to address most of the mine lands in the United States. Additionally, it will prioritize projects that employ dislocated coal industry workers, which is required under the act.