Microbiology professor Mary Beth Leigh and the team found that planting grasses or adding fertilizer, or a combination of both, to a contaminated site had surprisingly persistent effects on the microbes associated with local vegetation.
Framework will put people to work in locally led landscape restoration projects driven by collaborative partnerships while advancing climate resilience.
Pathfinders Resource Conservation and Development, Inc., was awarded $300,000 for three AMD projects selected through the merit review process for federal funding opportunities.
Funding comes from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is investing in abandoned mine reclamation in Wyoming.
AML reclamation supports jobs in coal communities by investing in projects that close dangerous mine shafts, reclaim unstable slopes, improve water quality by treating acid mine drainage, and restore water supplies damaged by mining.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated a total of $16 billion to address legacy pollution, including $11.3 billion in abandoned mine land funding over 15 years.
As required by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, funding allocations are determined based on the number of tons of coal historically produced in each state or on Indian lands before August 3, 1977.
The National Wildlife Federation assembles a report laying out how reclaiming degraded lands won't just help the local environment and wildlife — it will help the climate too.