Feb 7 (Reuters) – The Biden administration said on Monday $725 million in federal funds would be made available to states this year to clean up abandoned coal mines, one of several initiatives to reduce pollution resulting decades of fossil fuel development.

The money is part of the $11.3 billion allocated for mine rehabilitation in the infrastructure act Congress passed last year. The program is part of President Joe Biden’s pledge to create jobs and improve health and safety while fighting climate change.

The Department of the Interior said it would distribute $725 million each year for the next 15 years to states and tribes based on need. For fiscal year 2022, funding is available for 22 states and the Navajo Nation.

Pennsylvania is eligible for the largest funding, nearly $245 million, followed by West Virginia, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio.

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey said his state is home to a third of the country’s abandoned mining lands and expects to receive about $3 billion from the program in the coming years.

“It’s going to go a long way. We’ve never had this kind of investment in our abandoned mining lands at any point in history,” Casey said in a call with reporters.

The funding will prioritize projects that hire displaced coal workers, Interior said. The administration hopes the funds will create union jobs and help mining regions like Appalachia as they seek to diversify their economies.

Such work could include closing dangerous mine shafts, reclaiming unstable slopes, treating acid mine drainage and restoring mining-damaged water supplies, Interior said.

State and tribal allocations are based on the number of tons of coal historically produced in each state prior to the 1977 passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, which created a fund for the cleanup of abandoned mining lands.

This fund, however, relies on per-ton royalties paid by coal companies and has declined as the amount of coal mined in the United States has declined.

The administration will soon release guidance to states and tribes on how to apply for the funding. It should be paid later this year.

Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Leslie Adler and Aurora Ellis

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