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

The Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement awarded the Montana Department of Environmental Quality $4,598,840 under the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation (AMLR) program (CFDA 15.252) on October 1, 2025, with performance through September 30, 2030.

The award funds reclamation of eligible lands in Montana under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), enacted November 15, 2021. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality Financial Services Division will direct costs to activities identified in its approved reclamation plan, including direct reclamation work addressing hazards from legacy coal mining—such as dangerous highwalls, waste piles, subsidence, and open portals—that pose threats to public health, safety, and the environment. Eligible costs include support services, equipment, and development of amendments to the approved reclamation plan.

The IIJA authorized and appropriated $11.293 billion to the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund administered by OSMRE. OSMRE will distribute approximately $10.873 billion in IIJA grants to eligible states and tribes on an equal annual basis—approximately $725 million per year—over a 15-year period. This award represents Montana's allocation under that distribution. The award is structured as a formula grant under SMCRA, with the recipient required to maintain financial records and supporting documentation for three years from submission of the final expenditure report.

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