By Charles Boothe, Bluefield Daily Telegraph
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A group of U.S. Senators has introduced legislation to extend a program that provides money for coal reclamation projects to help communities impacted by the downturn in the coal industry.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, along with his Virginia colleagues Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and others, introduced the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Reclamation Fee Extension Act of 2021 and the Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More (RECLAIM) Act of 2021.
The AML Extension Act would provide a clean 15-year extension of the fee levied on coal companies that funds the AML Reclamation Program, which is currently set to expire this September. The RECLAIM Act would provide a boost for coal reclamation projects that provide economic development and growth in those impacted communities.
“For generations, West Virginia coal miners have made tremendous sacrifices and done the heavy lifting that powered our nation to greatness,” Manchin said in the announcement of the legislation. “Both the RECLAIM Act and the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Fee Extension Act are much needed investments in coal communities. The RECLAIM Act will support struggling coal communities as they diversity their economies.” …
