The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) Office of Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation (AML) is now accepting applications for a portion of its 2025 Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization (AMLER) Program funding.

This federal grant program supports economic development projects located on or near mine sites that ceased operations before the Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) was signed into law on Aug. 3, 1977.

The 2025 grant application, application tips and guidelines, and other helpful resources are available on the WVDEP’s AMLER webpage. Completed applications are due Thursday, July 31, 2025. All projects must receive final approval from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement (OSMRE).

An advisory committee made up of representatives from the WVDEP, state departments of Commerce, Tourism, and Transportation, and the Governor’s Office, is responsible for determining project eligibility and advancing recommended projects to OSMRE.

In 2024, 12 projects were recommended for nearly $29 million in funding. These included the Wheeling Gateway Center (Ohio County), Clear Fork Rail Trail (Raleigh County), TAZ Development Site (Preston County), and the Adventures West Virginia project (Fayette County).

Since 2016, the AMLER Program has awarded more than $239 million to support 84 projects throughout West Virginia’s coalfield communities.

For more information about the AMLER program, contact the WVDEP’s Office of Abandoned Mine Lands at 304-926-0499 or DEPAMLER@wv.gov.