The WVDEP’s Office of Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation (AML) administers federal funding for economic development projects on abandoned mine lands through its AMLER Program.
Donor Name: West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
State: West Virginia
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/30/2023
Details:
AMLER Program helps projects located on or adjacent to mine sites that ceased operations prior to the signing of the Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA).
State/Tribal AML Programs, in consultation with State, Tribal, and local economic/community development authorities, must develop eligible projects that demonstrate a nexus between AML land and water reclamation, and economic and community development. The AMLER Program is an opportunity for local communities and States/Tribes to return impacted areas to productive reuse, which should be defined by the State/Tribe in cooperation with local communities, to achieve the economic and community development goals identified for the community and/or region.
State/Tribal AML Programs are encouraged to collaborate with their respective State/Tribal and local economic development authorities and local communities to identify potential projects and apply funds from the AMLER Program to projects that will offer the greatest benefits for communities. The AMLER Program offers States, Tribes, and local communities flexibility in deciding which projects offer the greatest opportunities within their communities.
Economic and Community Development Nexus
The economic and community development nexus can be demonstrated by States/Tribes in different ways depending on whether the proposed project is intended to: (1) incorporate economic and community development related activities as part of the project itself (Category A projects), or (2) primarily involve reclamation activities that create the conditions for future economic and community development that occurs post-reclamation (Category B projects).
When selecting projects, States/Tribes are encouraged to consider the following:
- “Category A” Projects (Reclamation with Development):
- A Category A project includes both an eligible project as defined in Section II and economic and community development activities associated with the eligible project, and the project is likely to result in positive, measurable economic and community development outcomes
- To provide accountability, State/Tribal AML Programs will be required to report economic benefits and performance measures associated with awarded projects. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, does not specify criteria or metrics by which projects are evaluated and OSMRE recognizes that the metrics for productive reuse will vary based on the type of project selected; however, State/Tribal AML Programs should, to the extent possible, differentiate between post-project measures of future economic development in the medium- to long-term, and short-term measures associated with economic development activities (e.g., infrastructure construction) that are included in the project itself. The following are examples of measures a State/Tribe may wish to report:
- Jobs created (beyond those jobs necessary to conduct reclamation);
- Businesses created or served;
- Infrastructure created (impact could be measured by the linear feet, acreage, square feet, or other unit of measure for the expected amount of water, sewer, utility, or other form of infrastructure installed, constructed, or repaired);
- Increased, enhanced, or restored infrastructure system capacity;
- Communities served;
- Households served;
- Reclamation achieved (e.g., acres reclaimed, waters improved, improved revegetation, methane reduced, etc.);
- New or existing workers or students served; and
- Number of visitors (overnight and daytime).
- “Category B” Projects (Reclamation for Potential Development):
- A Category B project is reasonably likely to create favorable conditions for the economic development of the project site or promote the general welfare through economic and community development of the area where the project is conducted
- Such “favorable conditions” may be demonstrated by any of the following:
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- Documentation of the role of the project in the area’s economic development strategy or other economic and community development planning process;
- Documentation of the planned economic and community use of the project site after the primary reclamation activities are completed. Examples include contracts, agreements in principle, or other evidence that, once reclaimed, the site is reasonably anticipated to be used for one or more industrial, commercial, residential, agricultural, or recreational purposes; or
- Documentation of community support for the project. Examples include letters from non-profit organizations, businesses, and local governments, as well as documentation of community outreach efforts (such as notices of public meetings), and public comment periods.
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For more information, visit WVDEP.
