Federal Abandoned Mine Land Program

Ohio’s rich 200-year old mining legacy played a large part in fueling the nation’s industrial development. More than 3.6 billion tons of coal have been extracted from Ohio’s coal-bearing region since 1800.

As a result, the state was left with nearly 450,000 acres of land that were surface mined for coal prior to Ohio’s stringent 1972 reclamation law and 6,000 underground coal mines that exist below 600,000 acres of land.

Ohio’s Abandoned Mine Land Program was created to abate the priority health and safety effects of past mining as well as to provide environmental restoration of degraded areas.

Effects of Unregulated Mining
Poorly regulated mining during its first 150 years of existence in Ohio left impacts on the environment and the social fabric of its citizens. By 1972 the problems included:

In recognition of these abandoned mine land problems, the federal government passed the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. Not only did this legislation mirror Ohio’s effective reclamation law of 1972 for the regulation of active mining, it created an abandoned mine land program to address the highest priority public health and safety, and environmental problems associated with mining that occurred prior to August 3, 1977.

Problem Eligibility and Selection for Reclamation Funding
Any problem qualifies for funding if it meets the following conditions:

• The problem was caused by surface mining that took place before August 3, 1977 or underground mining that occurred before September 1, 1982;
• There is no existing reclamation bond on the mined site responsible for the problem; and
• The problem meets a priority health and safety or environmental designation.

Through observations, past records, and any documentation the landowner can provide, division experts determine whether the problem is eligible for funding and how serious the problem is.

Problems are classified in three categories:

• Emergency Health and Safety:
  An immediate and substantial threat to the safety of the public
• Non-emergency Health and Safety:
  A high risk of personal injury or significant property damage
• Land and Water Restoration:
  Environmental problems associated with degradation of soil, water, recreational resources and agricultural productivity

The Abandoned Mine Land Program cannot pay for channelizing streams or repairing structures damaged by mine-related flooding, landslides or subsidence. Further, AML sites that have been developed for residential or commercial uses are not eligible for reclamation funding, should mine-related problems occur.