FY26 Bureau of Land Management Abandoned Mine Lands and Hazardous Materials - Bureau wide

Closed Posted

Opportunity number
L26AS00053
Agency
Applications due
Award size
$100,000 to $1,500,000

Opportunity facts

Assistance listings
Funding instrument
Cooperative Agreement
Category
  • Natural Resources
Eligible applicants
  • State Governments
  • County Governments
  • Higher Education Inst. (Public)
  • 501(c)(3) Nonprofits
  • City/Township Governments
  • Non-501(c)(3) Nonprofits
  • Tribal Organizations (Not Federally Recognized)
  • Higher Education Inst. (Private)
  • Special District Governments
  • Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
Points of contact

Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .

About this opportunity

Written by GovTribe AI ·

The Bureau of Land Management is soliciting applications for abandoned mine lands and hazardous materials remediation projects, with applications due August 28, 2026. The program will award approximately three cooperative agreements totaling $4 million, with individual awards ranging from $100,000 to $1.5 million. No cost share is required.

Eligible applicants include state and local governments, federally recognized and non-federally recognized tribal governments and organizations, public and private higher education institutions, and 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Individuals and for-profit organizations are ineligible. Projects must be located in California, Idaho, Montana/Dakotas, Nevada, New Mexico, or Utah; Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Eastern States, Oregon/Washington, Wyoming, and the National Interagency Fire Center are excluded.

The program funds physical safety hazard mitigation at abandoned hardrock mines through NEPA compliance, cultural and biological surveys, closure methods including fencing, signing, backfilling, and bat-friendly grates, environmental remediation, and watershed restoration on BLM-administered lands. The five-year period of performance runs December 31, 2026 through December 30, 2031.

Merit review criteria emphasize qualifications and past performance, resource leveraging, technical approach, public benefit, and statement of need. The BLM estimates over 160,000 abandoned mine features on BLM-administered lands; the AML program prioritizes high-risk features posing threats to public safety, human health, groundwater, surface water, and soil resources.

Infrastructure projects must comply with Buy America preferences per 2 CFR Part 184. All applicants must register in SAM.gov and obtain a Unique Entity Identifier prior to submission. Applications are submitted exclusively through Grants.gov. Award decisions rest with BLM State Directors and are not subject to applicant appeal. The program operates under Assistance Listing 15.236 (Environmental Quality and Protection).

Synopsis

The BLM and its partners inventory and mitigate abandoned mine hazards to protect public health and safety and the environment, and restore watersheds for recreation, fish, wildlife and domestic animals, manage air quality for the protection of public health and sensitive ecosystems, and return lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources. Extractive industry activities of the past, including underground and surface mining have contributed to degradation of natural resources. Unrestored sites pose a threat to the safety and health of public land users, as well as to wildlife, biota, groundwater, surface water, and soil resources.Inventory and mitigation measures are implemented through core programs such as the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program, which addresses physical safety hazards and contamination posing risks to human health and/or the environment. The BLM estimates there are over 160,000 abandoned mine features located on BLM-administered lands, many of which will need to be addressed further.The AML program identifies and inventories abandoned hardrock mines, prioritizes those mines that pose a risk to public safety, human health, and the environment, and seeks funding to address those high-risk mine features and sites. Specifically, the AML program addresses physical safety hazards through performing NEPA, including cultural and biological surveys, a variety of closure methods including fencing, signing, back-filling, installation of bat-friendly grates, etc., and addresses risks to human health and the environment through a variety of removal and remedial response actions. The AML program also work to restore abandoned hardrock mines sites and restore the Nation's watersheds impacted by abandoned mines through a risk-reduction based watershed approach that uses partnerships to effectively leverage funding and facilitate projects; and reduces environmental degradation caused by abandoned mines to ensure compliance with all applicable soil, water, and air quality standards, and applicable Federal, State, Tribal, and local laws and regulations. For the NRDAR program, and any actions taken pursuant to BLM"s authority under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, potentially responsible parties must be investigated.The BLM seeks to develop partnerships with States, local governments, Tribal Nations, and voluntary environmental and citizen groups. In addition, BLM seeks to return lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources. These partnerships will provide financial assistance, through cooperative agreements to protect surface water, groundwater, soil, sediment and air from abandoned mine sites, address releases of hazardous substances, safeguard dangerous mine sites, and restore sites.

Files

File Type Posted
Foa_Content_of_L26AS00053 AML Hazmat.pdf PDF
Map of BLM Lands and State Office Boundaries.jpg JPG image
(O) Attachment B Budget Detail Narrative - 02.09.2026.xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
03 (M) Attachment A EQP.docx DOCX document

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