50 acres Area undermined, occupied dwellings in imminent danger of failure based on drilling or other scientific data. The number of people made safe from the elimination of a health and safety problem is a measure of benefits. The number of people supplied with potable water is a measurable benefit. The number of miles of streams returned to designated uses and the acres of land returned to productive use are measures of benefits. The following chart uses the problem assessment step to quantify the benefits that would accrue should the problem be addressed.
Cost is an important element in deciding to implement a project.
A project may have significant benefits but may cost too much to implement. Some mine fires and some acid mine discharges could use all of the AML grant money for an entire grant period. Such projects must be measured against other projects so that the most good is accomplished. In the guiding principles to this Plan, preferential consideration is given to projects where the cost is shared among several funding sources. In applying this principle, the amount of funding sought from the AML grant should be used in the above chart rather than the total project costs.