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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its cooperative government and nongovernmental conservation partners, mitigate hazards to protect public health and safety, restore watersheds for resources, recreation, fish, wildlife and domestic animals, and return lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources. Extractive industry and disposal activities of the past, including both underground and surface mining, have left degraded watersheds on public lands throughout the western United States. Unreclaimed sites pose an environmental threat to groundwater, surface water and soil as well as create a risk to the health and safety of public land users. Mitigation measures are implemented through core programs such as: !). Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program, which addresses physical safety hazards and water quality through restoration of abandoned hard rock mines. and 2). Educational outreach about the potential dangers posed to the public and recreationists from AML sites. This program continues to advance the Department of the Interior's priorities to address the climate crisis, restore balance on public lands and waters, advance environmental justice, and invest in a clean energy future. The BLM's AML Program supports these priorities by focusing efforts in the following areas: 1) environmental compliance; 2) the identification, inventory, and remediation of legacy contaminated features and sites; 3) immediate response to releases of hazardous substances, wastes and materials onto public lands; 3) mitigation of priority AML contaminated and physical safety sites and features; and, 4) providing program training and awareness. Through these focused efforts, BLM will also strengthen Environmental Justice (EJ) actions to ensure fair treatment and meaningful involvement of EJ and disadvantaged communities/stakeholders during the CERCLA , NEPA and RCRA planning and cleanup processes. The AML Program will contribute to the conservation and restoration of approximately 30% of our lands and waters by the year 2030. Additionally, this will help ensure that public land users are not at risk from the dangers of legacy mining activities. This program will support projects funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act PL 117-58, Section 40804(b) Ecosystem Restoration and anticipate receiving additional funding under Title VII - Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation.
This chart shows obligations for the program by fiscal year. All data for this chart was provided by the
administering agency and sourced from SAM.gov, USASpending.gov, and Treasury.gov.
For more information on each of these data sources, please see the
About the data page.
Ongoing Utah and Colorado Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program (AMRP), reclaiming abandoned mine openings and lands affected by past mining activities. In addition, the State of Utah, AMRP’s mandate only allows them to address physical safety hazards at non-coal mine openings. BLM can supplement AMRP funding to allow them to address the environmental problems, if they exist at the opening, at the same time that they are addressing the physical safety hazard. Ongoing project in Utah and Colorado Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program (AMRP), reclaiming abandoned mine openings and lands affected by past mining activities. In addition, the State of Utah, AMRP’s mandate only allows them to address physical safety hazards at non-coal mine openings. BLM can supplement AMRP funding to allow them to address the environmental problems, if they exist at the opening, at thesame time that they are addressing the physical safety hazard. BLM can supplement AMRP funding to allow them to address the environmental problems, if they exist at the opening, at the same time that they are addressing the physical safety hazard.
Ongoing project in Utah and Colorado Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program (AMRP), reclaiming abandoned mine openings and lands affected by past mining activities. In addition, the State of Utah, AMRP’s mandate only allows them to address physical safety hazards at non-coal mine openings. BLM can supplement AMRP funding to allow them to address the environmental problems, if they exist at the opening, at the same time that they are addressing the physical safety hazard. BLM can supplement AMRP funding to allow them to address the environmental problems, if they exist at the opening, at the same time that they are addressing the physical safety hazard.
No Current Data Available.
No Current Data Available.
In FY2020, the BLM 1644 Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program successfully utilized grants and agreements with state agencies, NGOs, other Federal Agencies, etc., to complete the following types of AML program-specific work: AML physical safety site inventory; AML physical safety closure; AML environmental cleanup; Threatened & Endangered species surveys; Cultural surveys and Wildlife and Bat surveys and counts Studies.
Because of the remoteness of most BLM AML sites, work is often combined. For instance, the survey work for plants and wildlife can be done at the same time.
Accomplishments for FY2020 for AML program-specific work were as follows: Wildlife, Bat, and Threatened & Endangered Species Surveys / 145; AML site surveys / 365; AML site studies / 12 AML physical safety closures / 135; AML environmental cleanups / 5.
BLM will partner with organizations to accomplish the following types of activities: Identify and prioritize abandoned mines and orphaned wells that most affect at-risk resources and functioning ecosystems; Prioritize orphaned well site physical safety closure projects in a manner that is centrally focused on achieving cost-savings; Develop methods to reclaim and restore sites impacted by past mining and/or drilling; Reclaim abandoned mine lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources; Reduce inventory of unreclaimed abandoned mines and orphaned wells; Reduce liabilities by eliminating or reducing risks posed by abandoned mines and orphaned wells; Reduce environmental degradation caused by abandoned mines and orphaned wells; Establish partnerships, where possible, with States, local governments, Tribes, and voluntary environmental and citizen groups to pool resources and expertise to address abandoned mines; Integrate abandoned mine land support into land use planning efforts; Apply the “polluter pays” principle applied to achieve cost avoidance/cost recovery for funding AML projects wherever possible; Assure that remediation actions are effective and that lessons learned through post-project monitoring and study benefit risk- and pollution-reducing efforts; Educate the public about the potential dangers posed by abandoned mines and the actions the BLM takes to address those dangers; Provide public outreach and education to interested stakeholders about the potential dangers posed by abandoned mines and orphan wells.
BLM anticipates to accomplish the same types of activities as in FY21 and support DOI priorities by Identify and prioritize abandoned mines and orphaned wells that most affect at-risk resources and functioning ecosystems; Prioritize orphaned well site physical safety closure projects in a manner that is centrally focused on achieving cost-savings; Develop methods to reclaim and restore sites impacted by past mining and/or drilling; Reclaim abandoned mine lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources; Reduce inventory of unreclaimed abandoned mines and orphaned wells; Reduce liabilities by eliminating or reducing risks posed by abandoned mines and orphaned wells; Reduce environmental degradation caused by abandoned mines and orphaned wells; Establish partnerships, where possible, with States, local governments, Tribes, and voluntary environmental and citizen groups to pool resources and expertise to address abandoned mines; Integrate abandoned mine land support into land use planning efforts; Apply the “polluter pays” principle applied to achieve cost avoidance/cost recovery for funding AML projects wherever possible; Assure that remediation actions are effective and that lessons learned through post-project monitoring and study benefit risk- and pollution-reducing efforts; Educate the public about the potential dangers posed by abandoned mines and the actions the BLM takes to address those dangers; Provide public outreach and education to interested stakeholders about the potential dangers posed by abandoned mines and orphan wells.
Cooperative Agreement with Bat Conservation International was entered into.
Single Audit Applies (2 CFR Part 200 Subpart F):
For additional information on single audit requirements for this program, review the current Compliance Supplement.
OMB is working with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and agency offices of inspectors general to include links to relevant oversight reports. This section will be updated once this information is made available.
