Funding for AMD Projects Available
By Dave Hamilton, Program Specialist, OSM, Harrisburg, PA and Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator, WPCAMR
The Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program (WCAP), an initiative of the US Dept of Interior Office of Surface Mining (OSM), received $1.5 million for federal fiscal year 2008 beginning October 1, 2007. The WCAP was started in 1998 to promote clean-up of streams and watersheds impacted by Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) by encouraging partnerships among funding agencies and other individuals and organizations.
Awards are made to not-for-profit organizations (501(c)(3)), especially small watershed groups, that undertake local acid mine drainage (AMD) reclamation projects. The maximum award amount for each cooperative agreement is $100,000, in order to assist as many groups as possible to undertake actual construction projects to clean up streams impacted by acid mine drainage. Normally, the WCAP participation level cannot exceed 30% of the total project cost.
Some of the eligibility criteria include:
• Projects to be considered must address land or water that has been adversely affected by coal mining activities that happened prior to 1977.
• The state’s Abandoned Mine Program must not be opposed to the project
• The project must be able to show tangible results.
• An operation and maintenance plan must be developed.
• There must be demonstrated public support for the project.
Eligible projects in the following states will be considered for funding: Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The WCAP has been a vital part of AMD remediation throughout the coal regions of Appalachia and could be considered as matching funds depending on which other funding source is tapped. Check with your primary funding agency to find out if they will accept WCAP funds as match.
OSM is looking for eligible, good quality, technically feasible projects that will fully obligate the available funds by the end of the fiscal year (September 30, 2008).For more information on the particulars of WCAP, contact:
In Pennsylvania:
David Hamilton - OSM office Harrisburg, 717- 782-4036 dhamil@osmre.gov
In Ohio:
Max Leuhrs - OSM office Columbus, 614-416-2238 ext. 110 mluehrs@osmre.gov
In West Virginia:
Nancy Roberts - OSM office Charleston, 304-347-7162 ext. 3043 nroberts@osmre.gov