{"id":2328251,"date":"2024-08-21T10:16:57","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T14:16:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-red-tape-leaves-most-of-1b-to-reclaim-mine-land-unspent-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-21T10:30:51","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T14:30:51","slug":"report-red-tape-leaves-most-of-1b-to-reclaim-mine-land-unspent-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-red-tape-leaves-most-of-1b-to-reclaim-mine-land-unspent-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Red tape leaves most of $1B to reclaim mine land unspent &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Freport-red-tape-leaves-most-of-1b-to-reclaim-mine-land-unspent-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2328251&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A\u200d recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO)\u2064 has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-epas-new-vehicle-emissions-standards-sparks-backlash-from-auto-industry-republicans\/\" title=\"Biden EPA\u2019s New Vehicle Emissions Standards Sparks Backlash From Auto Industry, Republicans\">highlighted significant issues<\/a>\u200d with the Department of Interior&#8217;s management of \u2064the \u2062Abandoned \u2064Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program, revealing that\u2062 over 70% of a $1 billion fund \u200dintended for cleaning up abandoned mine sites remains unspent after eight years. \u2064The report identifies poor tracking and management processes\u200b within\u2064 the \u2062Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and \u200cEnforcement (OSMRE) as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/grand-canyon-university-faces-new-legal-headache-from-the-biden-administration\/\" title=\"Grand Canyon University faces legal trouble from Biden administration\">major \u200dproblems<\/a>. These issues have hindered\u2064 the approval and execution of reclamation projects, leading some stakeholders \u200bto abandon their efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Inconsistent\u2062 tracking and unclear \u200dpolicies have resulted in wasted time and effort, \u200bcausing\u2062 projects to face extensive delays\u2014one project\u200d reportedly took over 1,100 days to advance, only for the applicant \u2064to\u200c withdraw. Meanwhile, even as some projects have progressed quickly, states are unable\u2064 to utilize hundreds of millions in allocated funds due\u200d to bureaucratic complications. The lack \u200bof timely funding access further exacerbates \u2063the situation, with states \u200coften \u2063waiting months for approvals.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the program struggles to demonstrate its\u2064 economic impact\u200c effectively, as it lacks clear metrics for tracking job\u2062 creation and \u2063other outcomes. the GAO&#8217;s findings \u2064indicate that the administrative inefficiencies of\u2062 the AMLER\u2064 program undermine its goal of rehabilitating abandoned mine lands for\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-cuomo-aide-makes-shocking-sexual-harassment-allegation\/\" title=\"Ex-Cuomo Aide Makes Shocking Sexual Harassment Allegation\">economic development<\/a>, adversely affecting communities near\u200c such sites.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Report: Red tape leaves most of $1B to reclaim mine land unspent<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1734990\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &mdash; A federal oversight report found much to critique about the Department of Interior&rsquo;s approach to cleaning up abandoned mine sites.<\/p>\n<p>After eight years and $1 billion to get it moving, barely 30% of the clean-up funds for the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program, or AMLER, have been spent, and the process has pushed some groups to give up on reclamation projects altogether.<\/p>\n<p>The report from the Government Accountability Office warned of management problems in the department&rsquo;s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, or OSMRE, including the lack of systematic tracking for project reviews and approvals. Regional office staff do some tracking, according to the report, but in an inconsistent manner, making the information &ldquo;incomplete and unreliable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Unclear policies have also led to repetitive work and wasted time.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The office also has not documented internal policies and procedures related to the administration of the program, according to regional officials,&rdquo; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-pelosi-allowed-recently-covid-positive-rep-onto-house-floor-to-vote-for-her\/\" title=\"Report: Pelosi allowed recently COVID-positive rep. onto House floor to vote for her\">report noted<\/a>. &ldquo;For example, OSMRE has not documented the roles and responsibilities of headquarters, regional, and field office staff, and headquarters staff often duplicate work that regional staff are already doing, according to these officials.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>For their part, federal officials haven&rsquo;t been interested in talking about the report.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have nothing to offer on this,&rdquo; Giovanni Rocco, a department spokesman, said in response to an interview request.<\/p>\n<p>The AMLER program was established in 2016 as a pilot program. Congress funds it annually, and it provides money to a handful of states and tribes to rehabilitate abandoned mine lands with an eye toward economic growth.<\/p>\n<p>Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky are the main recipients, along with Ohio, Virginia, Alabama, the Navajo Nation, and the Crow and Hopi Tribes. It is separate from the Abandoned Mine Land program.<\/p>\n<p>The lack of progress within AMLER has killed some projects.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The process is complex and requires back-and-forth collaboration,&rdquo; the GAO report noted. &ldquo;For example, OSMRE&rsquo;s review of one project proposal from Virginia took over 1,100 days, according to officials from Virginia. Ultimately, the applicant withdrew the proposal, according to OSMRE officials. As a result, $1.6 million was tied up with that project and could not be awarded to any other projects during that period.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The GAO noted that another state had a vetting process on a project that took over 500 pages &ldquo;with little or no feedback from OSMRE.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But other projects flew through. One project for recreational use in Ohio got OSMRE&rsquo;s review and approach in fewer than 30 days.<\/p>\n<p>The murky process has created a situation where states hold hundreds of millions of dollars but can&rsquo;t act on them. Aside from fiscal years 2016-2018, the majority of AMLER funds have not yet been spent, though states have received funding applications for hundreds of projects.<\/p>\n<p>West Virginia received 170 unique project applications but has only funded 72. For Kentucky, it&rsquo;s 239 applications and 86 funded projects. Pennsylvania funds projects based on an internal list rather than outside applications but has only funded 78 projects.<\/p>\n<p>The GAO report noted that some of that delay came from staff splitting time between AMLER and other grant programs, with &ldquo;limited resources to administer the AMLER program.&rdquo; AMLER is not a permanent program, relying on appropriations acts every year to continue it, which causes &ldquo;uncertainty about dedicated AMLER funding beyond any given fiscal year.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But the blame also falls on the Department of the Interior for sluggishly getting money out the door.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In fiscal year 2018, funds were not available for states to apply for until almost 8 months after the beginning of the fiscal year,&rdquo; the GAO report noted. &ldquo;In fiscal year 2020, funding was not available for states to apply for until 4 months after the beginning of the fiscal year. Furthermore, according to one state official, in fiscal year 2023, it took 4 months after applying to receive AMLER funding. As a result, most states are more than 1 year behind in terms of applying to OSMRE.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The administrative problems stifle improvements of residents who live near problematic abandoned mine lands.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>So, too, does the lack of clear and trackable metrics.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The program&rsquo;s mission is to not only remediate coal mine sites but spur their productive, economic use. However, the GAO report found that AMLER struggled to count the number of jobs created or the meaningfulness of its funding.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Performance measure information on both short-term outputs and long-term outcomes for AMLER projects may be limited,&rdquo; the report noted. &ldquo;States and Tribes are not required to track performance information on project outcomes after the construction of the project is completed and the grant is closed.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The GAO noted it could take years after site reclamation before a project gets fully developed and creates new businesses.<\/p>\n<p>Some projects, like one at Pittsburgh airport&rsquo;s innovation campus, got $500,000 through AMLER &mdash; but $32 million in funding from elsewhere, which makes &ldquo;attributing the project&rsquo;s outputs or outcomes directly to AMLER funds difficult.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Of the 332 projects funded so far, almost half are related to recreation and tourism, 23% are production and commercial projects, and 21% are infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n<p>The GAO recommended that the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement document what options states and tribes have for using funds that weren&rsquo;t spent in a given year; provide clearer guidance; track the project approval process &ldquo;in a consistent and systematic way;&rdquo; and streamline the review process by documenting roles and responsibilities of OSMRE staff.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1734990\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1734990\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A federal oversight report has raised significant concerns regarding the Department of Interior&#8217;s handling of abandoned mine site clean-ups. Despite having allocated $1 billion over eight years for the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program (AMLER), only about 30% of these funds have been utilized, leading some organizations to abandon their reclamation efforts. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlighted management issues within the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), including inadequate tracking systems for project reviews and approvals. While regional staff attempt to monitor progress, their methods are inconsistent, resulting in incomplete and unreliable data. Ambiguous policies have caused redundant work and inefficiencies; for instance, OSMRE has not clearly defined the roles of its various staff levels, leading to duplicated efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Federal officials have been unresponsive regarding the report&#8217;s findings; a department spokesperson stated they had no comments on it. Established in 2016 as a pilot initiative funded annually by Congress, AMLER aims to assist certain states and tribes in rehabilitating abandoned mine lands with a focus on economic development. Key beneficiaries include Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Alabama, as well as tribal nations like the Navajo Nation and Crow and Hopi Tribes.<\/p>\n<p>The slow progress within AMLER has stalled numerous projects due to its complex processes requiring extensive collaboration. For example, one project proposal from Virginia took over 1,100 days for review before being withdrawn by the applicant\u2014tying up $1.6 million that could not be allocated elsewhere during that time frame. In contrast to this lengthy process are instances where projects received swift approval; one recreational project in Ohio was reviewed in under 30 days.<\/p>\n<p>As a result of these administrative hurdles\u2014exacerbated by limited resources\u2014the majority of AMLER funds remain unspent since fiscal years 2016-2018 despite numerous applications from states for various projects. West Virginia received 170 unique applications but only funded 72; Kentucky had 239 applications with just 86 funded projects; Pennsylvania operates differently by funding based on an internal list rather than external applications but has still only supported 78 projects.<\/p>\n<p>The GAO also pointed out delays caused by staff dividing their time between AMLER and other grant programs while noting that AMLER is not permanent\u2014it relies on annual appropriations which creates uncertainty about future funding beyond each fiscal year.<\/p>\n<p>Administrative inefficiencies hinder improvements for communities near problematic abandoned mine sites due to unclear metrics tracking job creation or meaningful outcomes from funding initiatives post-project completion. Although some projects receive substantial funding through other sources alongside AMLER support\u2014making it difficult to attribute success directly\u2014the program\u2019s mission remains focused on both remediation and fostering economic use of reclaimed sites.<\/p>\n<p>Of the total funded projects so far\u2014332 nearly half relate to recreation\/tourism while others focus on production\/commercial activities or infrastructure development. The GAO recommended that OSMRE improve documentation regarding fund usage options for unspent amounts each year; provide clearer guidance; consistently track project approval processes; and streamline reviews through better-defined roles among OSMRE personnel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2328252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/iStock-1851969709-1024x578.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[38788,15374,38789],"class_list":["post-2328251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-environmentalregulation","tag-mining","tag-publicspending"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/iStock-1851969709-1024x578.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2328251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2328251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2328251\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2328252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2328251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2328251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2328251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}