{"id":334909,"date":"2026-01-17T16:13:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T21:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/?post_type=to4_article_post&#038;p=334909"},"modified":"2026-01-17T16:16:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T21:16:31","slug":"communities-say-congress-broke-its-promise-to-clean-up-abandoned-coal-mine-lands","status":"publish","type":"to4_article_post","link":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/communities-say-congress-broke-its-promise-to-clean-up-abandoned-coal-mine-lands\/","title":{"rendered":"Communities Say Congress Broke Its Promise to Clean Up Abandoned Coal Mine Lands"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"truth-post-content-before\" id=\"truth-961577295\"><div class=\"popmake-campaign-banners-donate-modal callout callout inline-callout mb-5 callout--text callout--text\" id=\"truth-304025\" data-callout-id=\"304025\" data-callout-theme=\"text\" data-callout-placement=\"Undefined\" data-callout-title=\"BCB 304025 Truthout is an indispensable resource...\"><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with a <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/support.truthout.org\/-\/XXQLBDSX\/&amp;utm_source=truthout&amp;utm_medium=bcb&amp;utm_campaign=304025\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">quick donation<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><aside class=\"wp-block-truthout-aside-block\">\n      <p><em>This article originally appeared on <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/insideclimatenews.org\/news\/13012026\/congress-bill-would-reduce-money-to-clean-abandoned-coal-mine-lands\/\">Inside Climate News<\/a><em>, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter <a href=\"https:\/\/insideclimatenews.org\/newsletter\/\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n  <\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>When the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law in 2021, authorizing more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmre.gov\/iija\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$11 billion in new funding<\/a> to reclaim lands and waterways damaged by abandoned coal mines, the people who lead this work on the ground were ecstatic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe were to the moon,\u201d said Amanda Pitzer, the executive director at Friends of the Cheat, a nonprofit organization in West Virginia that works to restore the Cheat River watershed. \u201cOnce that big influx of money was announced, with West Virginia on track to receive $2.1 billion over those 15 years, we thought, \u2018Now\u2019s the time. Now\u2019s the time to invest in water treatment.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Congress wants to claw back some of that funding. <\/p><div class=\"truth-post-content-high\" id=\"truth-1565023230\"><div class=\"callout inline-callout p-4 mb-5 callout--subscribe callout--light\" id=\"truth-255392\" data-callout-id=\"255392\" data-callout-theme=\"light\" data-callout-placement=\"Post Content - High\" data-callout-title=\"Never miss another story\"><h4>Never miss another story<\/h4>\n<p>Get the news you want, delivered to your inbox every day.<\/p>\n<script>\nvar gform;gform||(document.addEventListener(\"gform_main_scripts_loaded\",function(){gform.scriptsLoaded=!0}),document.addEventListener(\"gform\/theme\/scripts_loaded\",function(){gform.themeScriptsLoaded=!0}),window.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){gform.domLoaded=!0}),gform={domLoaded:!1,scriptsLoaded:!1,themeScriptsLoaded:!1,isFormEditor:()=>\"function\"==typeof 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true,                attributeFilter: [ 'style', 'class' ],            });        } else {            triggerPostRender();        }    } );} );\n<\/script>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill that would withdraw <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-bill\/6938\/text\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$500 million<\/a> of the money allocated in 2021 for abandoned mine cleanup projects. The states that stand to lose the most are Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Illinois and Kentucky, according to an analysis by <a href=\"https:\/\/appvoices.org\/2026\/01\/05\/reject-proposed-raid-of-abandoned-coal-mine-clean-up-fund\/\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Appalachian Voices<\/a>, an environmental organization that works on conservation issues in central and southern Appalachia. The bill must still pass the Senate, which plans to take it up this week, and be signed by the president before it becomes law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re horribly disappointed,\u201d Pitzer said. \u201cLess money means less reclamation, period.\u201d Among the projects that Pitzer\u2019s organization champions are the building and maintenance of treatment systems that clean up acid mine drainage, a type of pollution that harms aquatic wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In West Virginia, she said, Abandoned Mine Land funding has also been used to help build public water lines in communities where pollution has affected drinking water supplies. Although significant progress has been made in cleaning up the Cheat River since the 1990s, much more work remains to be done, Pitzer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The House bill proposes using the siphoned funding to pay for wildland fire management and U.S. Forest Service operations. \u201cI think it\u2019s highly inappropriate of Congress to rob Peter to pay Paul,\u201d said Andy McAllister, the regional coordinator of the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McAllister was particularly upset about the \u201cyes\u201d votes from Pennsylvania\u2019s congressional delegation in the House. All but one member <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/votes\/house\/119-2\/7\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voted for the bill<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pennsylvania has the most abandoned mines of any state, McAllister said. Decades of coal mining in Pennsylvania have created <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pa.gov\/agencies\/dep\/programs-and-services\/mining\/abandoned-mine-reclamation\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a range of environmental and public safety problems<\/a>, from underground fires and subsidence to sinkholes and pollution affecting more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.srbc.gov\/our-work\/pamphlets\/abandoned-mine-drainage.html\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">5,500 miles<\/a> of waterways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last year, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection estimated it would need <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pa.gov\/agencies\/dep\/newsroom\/2025-09-04-shapiro-administration-awards-over-5-2-million-to-clean-up-abandoned-mine-lands\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$5 billion<\/a> to fully remediate abandoned mine lands and the waterways they contaminated. Forty-five of Pennsylvania\u2019s 67 counties are impacted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe bottom line is, just like it always is, we got more problems than we got money,\u201d McAllister said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts are worried that this \u201crepurposing\u201d of the fund could continue beyond this year, with Congress dipping into the money for other reasons. \u201cThe AML fund is not a slush fund,\u201d Pitzer said. \u201cIt just feels very shortsighted.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kevin Zedack, government affairs specialist at Appalachian Voices, said his group assumes that passing this bill will lead to an annual reduction in funding. Zedack and McAllister said they have not heard back from legislators they\u2019ve reached out to with their concerns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The offices of Pennsylvania\u2019s senators, Republican Dave McCormick and Democrat John Fetterman, did not respond to requests for comment from <em>Inside Climate News. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zedack and McAllister both pointed out that the loss of funding will harm local economies. Unremediated mine land can\u2019t be used for development, for example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cProjects that are funded through this provide jobs in historically depressed areas,\u201d McAllister said. Those opportunities can help to offset job losses from the declining coal industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe Pizarchik, the former head of the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, which oversees AML funding, grew up in western Pennsylvania. The region is also losing out on huge amounts of tourism revenue, he said. Many waterways are so impaired by mining pollution that they can\u2019t be used for fishing or recreation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pizarchik said this isn\u2019t the first time the federal government has reduced the funding available to help communities in coal country since the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act was first passed in 1977. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere was a fee put in place on every ton of coal produced to help clean up the messes of the past,\u201d he said. Over time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmre.gov\/programs\/reclaiming-abandoned-mine-lands\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the fees have shrunk<\/a>. \u201cCongress is taking back money again to continue to punish the impoverished communities that have been suffering for a century,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTo the federal government, it\u2019s a drop in the bucket,\u201d said Bobby Hughes, executive director of the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation. \u201cTo us here in Pennsylvania, it\u2019s a vital and essential lifeline to doing more projects in our local communities. We are living the impacts of this legacy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pitzer agreed. \u201cThe program was initially structured to collect a fee to pay for sins of the past, and that money should stay in coal country. It should not be redirected to other needs and other places,\u201d Pitzer said. \u201cThis was a promise made to these communities and raiding the fund is breaking that promise.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"truth-post-content-after\" id=\"truth-841412437\"><div class=\"callout inline-callout p-4 mb-5 callout-- callout--white\" id=\"truth-334871\" data-callout-id=\"334871\" data-callout-theme=\"white\" data-callout-placement=\"Post Content - After\" data-callout-title=\"2026-01 Main Campaign (FRU) Trump is silencing political dissent. We appeal for your support.\">\n<div class=\"p-2 text-start\">\n<h5 class=\"pb-2\" style=\"text-transform: uppercase; font-family: var(--bs-font-sans-serif); text-align: center;\">Trump is silencing political dissent. We appeal for your support.<\/h5>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Progressive nonprofits are the latest target caught in Trump\u2019s crosshairs. With the aim of eliminating political opposition, Trump and his sycophants are working to curb government funding, constrain private foundations, and even cut tax-exempt status from organizations he dislikes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>We\u2019re concerned, because Truthout is not immune to such bad-faith attacks.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We can only resist Trump\u2019s attacks by cultivating a strong base of support. The right-wing mediasphere is funded comfortably by billionaire owners and venture capitalist philanthropists. At Truthout, we have you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Truthout has launched a fundraiser to raise $45,000 in the next 8 days. <\/strong>Please take a meaningful action in the fight against authoritarianism: make a one-time or monthly donation to Truthout. If you have the means, please dig deep.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"m-0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"#XEGQPXGY\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> The House passed a bill to repurpose $500 million meant for cleaning up coal country\u2019s environmental and safety hazards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":334910,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[91698],"tags":[803,4311,284,140259,226742,228952,1291,451,2205],"section":[26],"primary_topic":[16],"series":[],"admin_tag":[],"class_list":["post-334909","to4_article_post","type-to4_article_post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-coal","tag-coal-mining","tag-congress","tag-fires","tag-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act","tag-land-reclamation","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pollution","tag-west-virginia","section-environment-and-health","primary_topic-environment"],"acf":[],"related_articles":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/to4_article_post\/334909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/to4_article_post"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/to4_article_post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/334910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334909"},{"taxonomy":"section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section?post=334909"},{"taxonomy":"primary_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/primary_topic?post=334909"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=334909"},{"taxonomy":"admin_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/admin_tag?post=334909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}