Feds earmark $229.4M for mine reclamation in Pennsylvania

SHENANDOAH – Pennsylvania is receiving millions in federal funding, among the most in the country, to clean up abandoned mine lands.

The federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement announced Monday more than $679.4 million in abandoned mine land reclamation grants. Of that, $229.4 Million is earmarked for the Keystone State, the most in the country.

“Working with and providing funds to our state and tribal partners for abandoned mine lands reclamation confirms our commitment to the communities that powered our country for generations,” said Acting Assistant Secretary of Lands and Mineral Management Lanny E. Erdos. “This funding is a crucial part of addressing safety hazards, protecting public health, and returning damaged lands back to work for the American people.”  

State officials say Pennsylvania has the most abandoned mine land in the country which pose health and environmental risks.

Northern Schuylkill County is home to numerous abandoned mine sites where fatalities have occurred, like the water-filled Shen Penn stripping pit in Shenandoah borough and the ‘A’ and ‘B’ holes in Girardville borough and Butler Township.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) administers federal funds designated for mine clean-up in the state. That funding is rarely applied to projects in northern Schuylkill County.

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Kaylee Lindenmuth

Kaylee Lindenmuth is a Shenandoah native with a passion for journalism and the community she calls home. She is a 12-time Keystone Media Award winner, a PAB Excellence in Broadcasting award winner, and has been nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy award.

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