This story originally appeared on StateImpact Pennsylvania.
The Biden administration is continuing its push to clean up former mine land and cap abandoned oil and gas wells, with two top officials visiting Pennsylvania on Tuesday to discuss federal funding goals.
U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy toured projects in Schuylkill and Northumberland counties that turn land formerly used for coal mining into recreational areas.
The projects received funds through multiple federal grant programs before President Biden took office.
Federal funding for more reclamation projects like these, Haaland and McCarthy said, will revitalize local economies that have historically depended on fossil fuels.
“We’re so grateful for the work that coal miners have done,” Haaland said. “As the country shifts toward developing a robust and sustainable clean energy future, we need to do everything we can to make sure that we never leave these communities behind.”
Most of the funding the administration envisions has yet to be approved by Congress.
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, the $1.2-trillion-dollar bipartisan infrastructure deal forged last month includes $16 billion to reclaim former mine land and cap abandoned wells. Senators will continue negotiating the details of the bill this month.
An Interior Department news release from March states Pennsylvania received about $27 million through the department’s Abandoned Mine Land reclamation grant program in fiscal year 2021. That is less than Pennsylvania received through the program last year.
The news release also says the state received $25 million through the department’s Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization grant program, which specifically requires states to develop the land with a focus on the economic benefit of the communities involved.
McCarthy said cleaning up polluted areas — and maintaining the restored land — will create jobs.
“You are not just correcting a problem, you’re looking to make it an economic win, and that’s how we have to think about it,” she said.