NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – As New Mexico transitions away from coal power and towards a greener grid, abandoned coal mines are left behind. Now, the state is getting $2.8 million in federal funding to reclaim abandoned coal mines.
The funds are reclamation fee-based grants from the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Environment (OSMRE). Across the nation, the office is putting over $124 million towards reclamation efforts in fiscal year 2024.
"These grants will ensure our state and Tribal partners have the resources needed to continue their decades of successful reclamation work on our nation’s abandoned mine land sites,” OSMRE Principal Deputy Director Sharon Buccino said in a press release.
New Mexico's legacy mining cleanup has been ongoing for some time. In 2023, the New Mexico Environment Department won an award for its restoration of the Dutchman Canyon.