Justice urges W.Va. congressional delegation to reauthorize AML program
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Jun. 12—CHARLESTON — Gov. Jim Justice on Friday called upon the state's congressional delegation in Washington to take immediate action to reauthorize the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program.
"West Virginia coal has powered the country for decades and paid for the reclamation of thousands of AML sites," Justice said in a prepared statement Friday. "Not only does this funding provide a tremendous environmental benefit, but it is an amazing economic driver for our local communities."
Justice made the request in a letter that has been forwarded to the state's congressional delegation.
According to the governor's office, the fees paid by the coal industry since 1977 to fund correction of hazards left behind by mines operated before 1977 is set to expire in September of this year. A federal inventory of the work yet to be done by the AML program estimates that more than $11 billion worth of AML projects remain across the country. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection's own inventory estimates that $4.2 billion worth of this work needs to be done in the Mountain State.
Justice said the AML work funds millions of dollars in good paying jobs that he believes are well-suited to the skills of the state's coalfield workforce.
In the letter, Justice asked members of West Virginia's congressional delegation to take immediate action on legislation to extend the AML fee at current rates for another 15 years, so that AML projects can continue.
Justice also voiced his support for the acceleration of the use of monies in the existing federal AML Trust Fund — currently estimated at about $2.2 billion through the channels of the existing AML program — so abandoned mine hazards can be corrected sooner rather than later.
Economic studies estimate that for every $1 spent on AML reclamation projects, $1.59 is contributed to the economy, the governor's office said. By that measure, Justice estimates the AML program has contributed $1.2 billion into West Virginia's economy over the past 40 years.
