U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) today introduced the RECLAIM Act and a bill to reauthorize the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) reclamation fee. The RECLAIM Act would commit existing funds to clean up abandoned coal mines and spur economic development and diversification in impacted communities. In response to the bill introduction, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh:

“Our nation is in the midst of an undeniable energy transition and it is imperative that we ensure that the workers and communities impacted by that transition are not left behind. The RECLAIM Act will help put these impacted areas on track to succeed in the clean economy of the future by diversifying their economies while cleaning up the environment. We thank Sen. Manchin for his leadership in introducing this bill and are also pleased to see movement on AML reauthorization, which is set to expire later this year.”