Coal communities are “horribly disappointed” after Congress voted to divert $500M meant for mine cleanup. (Inside Climate News)
Catch up quick: Despite the 2021 infrastructure law authorizing $11B+ to reclaim lands and waterways damaged by abandoned coal mines, the House passed an appropriations bill last week to “repurpose” $500M of it to pay for wildfire management and Forest Service operations.
Advocates in Pennsylvania and West Virginia warn that treating the cleanup fund like a "slush fund" will halt critical water treatment projects, effectively punishing regions that were counting on the money to remediate thousands of miles of dead rivers and dangerous sinkholes.