<h1>The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) Office of Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation (AML) is taking applications for a portion of $25 million in grant funding available for economic development projects.</h1> The economic development projects must be located on or adjacent to mine sites that ceased operations prior to the signing of the Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) on August 3, 1977. The grant application and additional information on the grant funding is available here on the WVDEP website. Completed applications are due Sept. 1. A committee of representatives from the WVDEP, West Virginia Department of Commerce, and West Virginia Division of Highways will review applications and announce as early as the middle of September which projects will receive grant funding. Several economic development projects on AML sites already have been identified and are being considered for grant funding, but more applications are sought to ensure that other potential beneficial proposals are considered. The grant funding, provided by the federal government, is being administered by AML and all funding must be approved by the US Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement (OSMRE). A map of known AML sites in West Virginia can be found here. For more DEP news and information, go to www.dep.wv.gov. Also, be sure to connect with the agency on all social media platforms. Follow @DEPWV on Twitter and find us on YouTube by searching “Environment Matters.” For specific information about our REAP (Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan), West Virginia Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), West Virginia Watershed Improvement Branch, Youth Environmental Program and Human Resources initiatives, connect on Facebook.
