Cleanup of abandoned mines could get boost, relieving rivers

By MICHAEL PHILLIS
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Abandoned coal mines in the U.S. have been polluting rivers and streams for decades, but efforts to finally clean up the sites could soon get a big boost from the infrastructure bill. Tucked into the Senate-passed infrastructure bill is $11.3 billion for the cleanup of defunct mines to be distributed over 15 years. Experts say the money would go a long way toward rehabilitating the sites that date back to before 1977. Cleanup efforts are currently funded by fees from coal mining companies, but that money has fallen far short of what’s needed to fix the problems.