Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

My amendment provides a modest increase in grant funding to Appalachian States for the reclamation of abandoned mine lands in conjunction with economic and community development and reuse goals. Funding for these reclamation grants was first established last fiscal year at $90 million, but was provided exclusively to the three Appalachian States with the greatest amount of unfunded reclamation needs.

Last year, I offered an amendment to expand this program to the next three Appalachian States with the greatest unmet needs. As you might imagine, Virginia is one of those three, with the other two being Alabama and Ohio. I am encouraged that the underlying bill heeds that call and expands these grants to do the next three Appalachian States, but the need is far too great in areas like southwest Virginia, and much more can be accomplished with a small increase in this program.

My amendment increases the funding level for these grants from $90 million to $105 million, with that additional funding dedicated to setting a more balanced distribution of funds among Appalachian States. This additional funding is needed to really get in and do some work to help these Appalachian coal communities that have been economically devastated, while at the same time helping reduce the environmental impact of unreclaimed mine lands.

My office has worked closely with the House Interior Appropriations Committee staff on this amendment language to come to a resolution that ensures that additional support for one Appalachian community does not come at the expense of another Appalachian coal community.

This additional support will have a significant impact on economic development work throughout Appalachia, while being offset by a slight reduction in the EPA's environmental programs and management account, totaling only one-half of 1 percent of that account, reducing it from $2.527 billion to $2.512 billion.

Additionally, I am encouraged that staff at the Congressional Budget Office have determined that my amendment would result in a reduction of $6 million in outlays for this fiscal year, as the money would be spent out at a slower rate over the coming years than would have occurred under the EPA's environmental programs and management account.

This program is an essential tool to help reinvigorate coal communities throughout Appalachia struggling with restoring and reclaiming abandoned mine sites in a way that would help put people back to work. I urge Members to support this amendment and support these coal communities that are struggling now more than ever.

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Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).

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Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Chairman, I would just say that I recognize the concerns that the opponents to this amendment have; but what we are trying to do is to take some money, direct it for an environmental purpose, but also help take the reclaimed mine lands, make them right, make them so that they are the way they are supposed to be, and have a purpose that will then allow us to use--whether it be recreational, whether it be some other form of business, but allow us to use those lands for economic development in an area where unemployment is now peaking up over 10 percent, where depopulation is constant and where, frankly, Mr. Chairman, we can't afford more wait-till-next-year approaches from Washington, D.C.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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