March 7, 2024 - The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is accepting nominations for the 2024 Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Reclamation Awards, which recognize outstanding state and Tribal efforts to reclaim abandoned coal mines. Nominations must be received by OSMRE by May 12.

Presented in partnership with the National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs, OSMRE recognizes exemplary reclamation projects that reclaim sites mined and abandoned prior to 1977. The AML Reclamation Awards are the highest honor a reclamation program can achieve.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mineral Resources Management, was the recipient of the 2023 National Award for exemplary reclamation work at Friendship Park in Jefferson County. Photo courtesy of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Each year, OSMRE presents the following AML awards:

National Award: Presented to the state or Tribe with the best overall reclamation project.

Small Project Award: Presented to the state or Tribe receiving less than $6 million annually in fee-based AML funding that completes a project costing less than $1 million.

Regional Awards: Presented to the state or Tribe with the best project within each of the following categories: Appalachian States, Interior States, and Western States and Tribes.

Previous AML Award winners introduced or refined techniques to achieve superior results in returning abandoned mine lands to productive use. Recent award-winning projects featured reforestation techniques, geomorphic land restoration, the creation of wetlands to mitigate acid mine drainage, landslide stabilization, watershed improvement, and other strategies to improve public health and safety and environmental conditions.     

In fiscal year 2023, $725 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding and $126 million in AML fee-based funding was available to eligible states and Tribes to reclaim AML sites to address dangerous and polluting abandoned mines and to create good-paying jobs and catalyze economic opportunities in current and former coal communities.

For more information about the awards, eligibility, and the nomination process and requirements, visit AML Reclamation Awards. Submit nominations or questions about the awards to OSMRE at awards@osmre.gov.