Washington, D.C. – Wyoming is set to receive not only the $550 million of what is currently owed from the federal government, but a projected $1.6 billion over the next 15 years from the Abandoned Mine Land fund.
In addition to returning the $550 million Wyoming is owed, the legislation corrects future funding problems by removing the AML fee distribution from the appropriations process. This ensures Wyoming will receive full funding for future collections of the AML fee. This is projected to be about $60 million per year.
Today the House passed a legislative tax credit extension package by a vote of 367-45. That legislation includes AML funding. There is some opposition to the tax credit extension legislation in the Senate. The outcome is uncertain, but the Wyoming senators are hoping to bring the matter to a successful conclusion before the end of the weekend and the end of the 109th Congress.
U.S. Senator Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., said that Wyoming just wants what it was originally promised and what it has been entitled to receive.
"I am very pleased we were finally able to get Wyoming’s share of the AML funds that we were promised so long ago. I was also glad language was included that gives our state legislature the flexibility to prioritize how our money will be spent. However, I remain concerned about the expansion of the AML program for things unrelated to reclamation or mining. This is certainly not a perfect package, but our current and past Wyoming delegations have always worked to maintain and achieve fairness under this program with other mining states," Thomas said.
U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., said passage of the legislation would mean a repayment of debts.
"Legislators in both the House and the Senate promised me when I was leading negotiations on national pension legislation this summer, that if we couldn’t include AML then, we would finish it later. Later is now. True to their promises, AML has been in every tax relief extension package that has been presented," Enzi said. "This legislation takes coal money and uses it to pay coal debts. For years and years Wyoming’s share of AML money has been hijacked. While our money has been hijacked, we have continued to pay for the health care of Eastern coal miners. That’s great for the miners, but it leaves Wyoming with nothing. This legislation pays Wyoming back, ensures Wyoming receives our fair share in the future, pays for miners’ health, and provides money to states to use for mine reclamation projects."
Wyoming's lone Member in the House of Representatives, Barbara Cubin, expressed her commitment to enactment of AML reform legislation.
"Reforming the AML Program has been one of my top priorities since I was first elected to Congress, and it would be a triumph for all of Wyoming if the President were to finally sign this bill into law," Cubin said. "The House has passed AML reform in late July, but it failed to move in the Senate. Passage of this important bill today gives us one last chance in the 109th Congress to get this done once and for all. The fact is, by law, this is just the right thing to do. For over 30 years now, coal producers in Wyoming have paid into the AML fund just as the law requires, and it is high time the Federal government pays its debts. I have high hopes the Senate will follow the lead of the House and pass this legislation."
In 1977, when the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act was passed, a tax was levied against every ton of coal produced to help clean up coal mines that were abandoned before reclamation laws existed. Half of that tax was promised to states, and the other half went to the federal government to run the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) program and direct more money to the states with the largest reclamation needs, primarily eastern states.
Unfortunately, money that was promised to our state was not sent back to Wyoming, and money that was supposed to do reclamation was not sent to states with reclamation needs, according to the delegation. Instead of on-the-ground projects, the money was kept in Washington, DC, spent on unrelated federal programs or used to make budget numbers look better.
