Program: infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA AML) program (title IV) award purpose: infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA) (PUB

The North Dakota Public Service Commission received a $3.1M formula grant award from the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) under the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation (AMLR) program (CFDA 15.252), effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2030. This award is funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and represents North Dakota's allocation of approximately $725M annually distributed nationally over a 15-year period to eligible states and tribes. The Commission will use these funds to reclaim eligible coal-mined lands and address legacy mining hazards within North Dakota's jurisdiction, including elimination of dangerous highwalls, waste piles, subsidence features, open portals, and treatment of acid mine drainage.

Activities performed under this award include all costs necessary to reclaim eligible lands as defined by the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 and the Commission's approved reclamation plan. Eligible expenditures encompass direct reclamation project costs, support services, equipment, and costs to develop amendments to the approved reclamation plan. The Commission will address coal Abandoned Mine Land (AML) problems that pose threats to public health, safety, and the environment, as well as provide safe drinking water in areas where groundwaters have been contaminated by abandoned coal mining operations. All work must align with North Dakota's approved SMCRA Title IV reclamation program.

Activities

Activities include all costs necessary to reclaim eligible lands as defined by smcra and the approved reclamation plan and include costs are for activities directly identified in the approved reclamation plan, support costs including such activities as equipment and support services, and costs to develop an amendment to the approved reclamation plan. Expected deliverables or outcomes: documents related to the oversight of the state program, including deliverables, expected outcomes, and past annual evaluation reports for the state can be found on the osmre website https://WWW.odocs.osmre.GOV. Costs must be used for activities directly identified in the approved program. Support costs must be used for the activities identified in the approved program, including such activities as equipment and support services. Costs to develop an amendment to the approved program.

Intended beneficiaries

States and tribes may use IIJA AML grants to address coal AML problems, including: hazards resulting from legacy coal mining that pose a threat to public health, safety, and the environment within their jurisdictions (including, but not limited to, dangerous highwalls, waste piles, subsidence, open portals, features that may be routes for the release of harmful gases, acid mine drainage, etc.); water supply restoration (infrastructure); and coal AML emergencies. Subrecipient activities (if known or specified at time of award): n/a