CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) Office of Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation (AML) is taking applications for a portion of its next round of grant funding available for economic development projects.
The federal funding is available through the Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization (AMLER) Program and projects must be located on or adjacent to mine sites that ceased operations prior to the signing of the Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) on Aug. 3, 1977.
A map of known AML sites in West Virginia can be found
here.
The 2024 grant application, application tips and guidelines, and other helpful resources are available on the
WVDEP's AMLER web page.
Completed applications are due Friday, May 31, 2024. All projects must receive final approval from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement (OSMRE).
An advisory committee composed of representatives from the WVDEP, state Departments of Commerce, Tourism, and Transportation, and the Governor's Office, is responsible for determining project eligibility and advancing recommended projects to OSMRE.
A total of 10 projects were
recommended to receive nearly $30 million in funding for the 2023 grant cycle, including the Ashland Resort Tourism Park in McDowell County, the City of Thomas Water Improvement Project in Tucker County, West Virginia Farm Foods in Brooke County, and the Gravity Adventure Park in Kanawha County.
For more information about the AMLER program, contact the WVDEP's Office of Abandoned Mine Lands at 304-926-0499 or
DEPAMLER@wv.gov.