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Alabama Department of Labor

AML

2021 ABANDONED MINE LAND ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION PROGRAM PROJECT ELIGIBILITY GUIDANCE

2021 GRANT APPLICATION FOR ABANDONED MINE LAND ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION PROGRAM

**2021 ABANDONED MINE LAND ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION PROGRAM APPLICATION DEADLINE APRIL 8, 2022**

ABANDONED MINE LAND ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION GRANT PROJECT LOCATION MAP 2017 TO PRESENT

THREE FORKS SOUTH AML PROJECT


ABANDONED MINE LAND RECLAMATION

VESTAVIA HILLS, ALABAMA FIELD OFFFICE:
1400 URBAN CENTER DRIVE, SUITE 200
VESTAVIA HILLS, AL 35242
PHONE: (205) 945-8671


ALABAMA’S RECLAMATION ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE
The State of Alabama Department of Labor Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program (AML) administers and oversees the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program in Alabama. The agency is responsible for resolving problems such as mine fires, mine subsidence, dangerous highwalls, open shafts and portals, mining-impacted water supplies and other hazards which have resulted from past coal mining (pre-1977) practices in accordance with requirements established by the federal Office of Surface Mining under authority of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA).

SMCRA defines lands and waters that are eligible for reclamation as:

Lands and waters which were mined for coal or which were affected by such mining, wastebanks, coal processing, or other coal mining processes and abandoned or left in an inadequate reclamation status prior to Aug. 3, 1977, and for which there is no continuing reclamation responsibility under state or federal laws. As required by SMCRA, Alabama has documented an inventory of AML sites with Priority 1 and Priority 2 health and safety hazards. The estimated cost to reclaim these high priority sites exceeds $100 Million dollars. Many additional sites remain undocumented and future problems, such as mine subsidence, will continue to occur due to Alabama's AML legacy. AML selects P1 and P2 sites for reclamation from those reported to the agency by the public, or by government agencies, and from sites in the AML inventory that have a significant impact on the public.
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AML CONTACT INFORMATION:
LES KEARLY, PE
AML SUPERVISOR
ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ABANDONED LAND RECLAMATION PROGRAM
1400 Urban Center Drive, Suite 200
Vestavia Hills, Alabama 35242
Office Phone: 205-945-8671
Direct Line: 205-582-5182
Fax: 205-945-8685

Email: Leslie.Kearley@labor.alabama.gov

AML funding is provided to Alabama through grants from the U.S. Office of Surface Mining (OSM). SMCRA requires that active coal operators pay an AML fee on each ton of coal mined. OSM collects the fee and distributes it through annual grants to the AML states and tribes according to a distribution formula established in the law. Collection of the AML fee is currently authorized by SMCRA through federal fiscal year 2021. Provided Congress does not alter the law, Alabama will receive future AML grants through 2022. Based on current levels of active coal mining, AML grants to Alabama over the next few years are projected total in the range of 50 to 60 million dollars.

In addition to the obvious benefits to Alabama through the elimination of mine-related safety hazards and improvements to the environment, the program has impacted positively on local economies as dollars are spent on reclamation work.
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USEFUL LINKS:

U.S. Office of Surface Mining

Reclaiming Abandoned Mine Lands

Abandoned Mine Land Inventory System (AMLIS)

National Mine Map Repository

Abandoned Mine Lands

Our Work's Not Done

Reporting an Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Emergency Problem

Abandoned Mine Land emergencies are hazards that occur suddenly and present an immediate threat to the public health and safety. They are caused by abandoned underground or surface coal mines and need immediate attention.
Emergency Problems May Include:

Open subsidence, portals or shafts

Subsidence that has damaged occupied structures

Coal waste (gob) fires or underground mine fires near houses, roadways or populated areas

Landslides that are blocking roadways, streams or threatening/damaging structures

AML EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION:
For Emergencies such as subsidence and gob fires please call: 205-582-5182*
After hours and weekends call: 256-452-1054*
*Please do not e-mail in case of an emergency*