News Release

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement 

A Bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: May 28, 2021

Contact: Francis Piccoli

(202) 208-2565

President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Makes Significant Investments in 

Abandoned Coal Mine Reclamation 

Proposes resources to bolster jobs, revitalize coalfield opportunities, and protect 

communities from the effects of coal mining 

WASHINGTON –The Biden-Harris administration today submitted to Congress the 

President’s Budget for fiscal year 2022, including $312 million for the Office of 

Surface Mining and Reclamation, which features $165 million to address coal mine 

reclamation and economic development efforts. 

As the Administration continues to make progress defeating the pandemic and getting 

our economy back on track, the President’s budget makes historic investments that will 

help the Department address the climate crisis while creating good-paying jobs with a 

free and fair chance to join a union, and investing in healthy lands, waters, and 

economies of energy communities across the country. 

“The Interior Department plays an important role in the President’s plan to reinvest in 

the American people. From bolstering climate resiliency and increasing renewable 

energy, to supporting Tribal Nations and advancing environmental justice, President 

Biden’s budget will make much-needed investments in communities and projects that 

will advance our vision for a robust and equitable clean energy future,” said Secretary

Deb Haaland. 

The President’s Budget includes the two historic plans the President has already put 

forward — the Americans Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan – and reinvests in 

education, research, public health, and other foundations of our country’s strength. At 

the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, the President’s Budget 

would: 

• Support Abandoned Coal Mine Reclamation. The Budget includes an

additional $50 million for the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization

(AMLER) grants program, which supports abandoned coal mine reclamation

projects that have a nexus to local economic development and to the creation of

high-paying union jobs. AMLER grants are distributed to six Appalachian States

and three Tribes with the highest number of unfunded Priority 1 and Priority 2
Abandoned Mine Land (AML) sites. The total grant amount available during FY 

2022 will be $165 million. 

• Provide Funds to Combat the Climate Crisis. The Budget proposes $1.4

million in funding towards the transition to zero emission vehicles which will

reduce transportation-related emissions and further combat the climate crisis.

• Provide Relief to Local Communities. The Budget also includes $785,000 to

protect society from the effects of past surface coal mining. These additional

funds will allow OSMRE to address unforeseen Federal emergency reclamation

projects, enabling OSMRE to provide immediate relief from emerging hazards

in States and on Indian lands without an approved AML program.

Enacting the President’s Budget policies into law this year would strengthen our 

nation’s economy and lay the foundation for shared prosperity. 

For more information on the President’s FY 2022 Budget, please visit: 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/. 

-- OSMRE -- 

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) carries out the 

requirements of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 in 

cooperation with States and Tribes. OSMRE’s objectives are to ensure that coal mining 

activities are conducted in a manner that protects citizens and the environment during 

mining, to ensure that the land is restored to beneficial use after mining, and to 

mitigate the effects of past mining by aggressively pursuing reclamation of abandoned 

coal mines.