June 17, 2026 - Despite federal cuts by Congress to a program to help Appalachian states clean up damage from coal mines, some money will be flowing to states including Ohio in the form of federal grants.

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement announced grants for abandoned mine land cleanup, brought about under a federal infrastructure law.

According to the Ohio River Valley Institute, the grants are meant to be used to repair waterways and land damage resulting from historic coal mining.

The abandoned mine land grants for 2026 amount to $679 million, but that amount is $45 million less than before congressional cuts were made to the program.

Eric Dixon, a senior researcher for the Ohio River Valley Institute, said the funding maintains “historic investment in cleaning up hazardous coal mine damage,” while also boosting job opportunities, as well as the safety and health of Appalachian communities.

“Unfortunately, the tens of millions in cleanup funding slashed by Congress means more families will have to wait for help with orange-tinted streams or crumbling home foundations,” Dixon said in announcing the funding.

An infrastructure law passed in 2021 started the process of reclaiming abandoned mine land with about $10.9 billion in grant funding nationwide over the next 15 years.

The funding cuts occurred in a January spending bill, in which the institute said funds originally meant for coal mining cleanup were redirected to other federal programs.

In grant funding distribution documents released after the $500 million cut was announced, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement said the loss would be “applied equally to the remaining 11 grant distribution years,” at about $45.5 million per year.

The institute said the congressional funding cuts are “equivalent to the cost of stabilizing around 10,000 acres of subsidence, which occurs when land above underground mines caves in.”

Ohio stands to lose nearly $3 million per year, starting this year, according to the federal agency.

So, while Ohio was set to receive $696 million between 2022 and 2036 to address abandoned coal mines, the reduction means the state will receive $664 million over the grant period, according to an analysis by the Ohio River Valley Institute.

Ohio has a state abandoned mine land program, as well as administration authority for the federal program “to address the highest priority problems resulting from coal mining that occurred prior to enactment of today’s stricter reclamation requirements,” according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Regulations began in earnest in the 1970s, but mining activity before then led to impacts including 1,300 miles of streams polluted by acid mine draining, nearly 119,000 acres of land in need of “major reclamation efforts,” polluted water supplies across the state, and acres of landslides, according to the ODNR.

In 1972, the state started its own reclamation program, with a state severance tax imposed on active surface mine operators.

A separate program called the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program gives state funding to projects around that use the land for other things.

Some of the approved projects include building construction, mine stabilization, and park improvements.

In Lawrence County, for example, $3 million was approved for a sports and recreation complex. Another $2.8 million was approved for a four-phase project in Athens County’s village of Glouster to reclaim downtown buildings, improve a village park, build a daycare facility and operate a workforce development program, according to the state.

The village of Leetonia in Columbiana County was approved for $3.5 million to construct a learning and history center, along with a conservatory and roadway improvement project in the area.

The area still has more than 200 ovens used during 19th-century coal mining.

“The overall goals of this project include interpreting the industrial and cultural history of the Cherry Valley, developing a trail system that integrates remaining industrial structures, developing the educational potential of the site, promoting local and regional access to the site, and fostering a connection to the regional trail system,” a profile of the project stated.

Surrounding states also saw federal funding losses, with Kentucky seeing a $4.7 million reduction in annual grant funds, West Virginia losing $8.9 million year over year, and Pennsylvania netting a $15.4 million annual loss. Indiana will see an annual loss of $1.5 million per year.

Pennsylvania and West Virginia saw the highest cuts grant cuts in the nation. Alaska and Texas were the only states to see no reductions in funds as a result of the cuts.