Abandoned Mine Land Development Grants Available In W.Va.

Federal funding is available for economic development projects along abandoned mine lands in West Virginia.

The state Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation is taking applications for part of $35 million in grant funding for such projects.

The DEP says projects must be located on or near mine sites that stopped operations before the 1977 signing of the Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act.

A map of such known sites is available on the DEP’s website along with the grant application and other resources. Completed applications are due by June 20.

Projects must be approved by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement. A state advisory committee is responsible for determining project eligibility and advancing recommended projects to the federal level, the DEP said.