WASHINGTON – Nominations for the 2026 Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Awards, which recognize outstanding state and Tribal efforts to reclaim abandoned coal mines, opened today and are due to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement by May 10.
“The AML Awards highlight the dedication and innovation of the people working to restore lands impacted by our nation’s legacy mining,” said Lanny E. Erdos, OSM director. “Each project tells a story of communities strengthened and hazards removed. We encourage states and tribes to submit their best projects so we can continue recognizing the remarkable work happening across the country.”
Presented in partnership with the National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs, OSM recognizes exemplary reclamation projects that reclaim sites mined and abandoned prior to 1977. The AML Reclamation Awards are the highest honor a reclamation program can achieve.
Each year, OSM presents the following AML awards:
National Award: Presented to the state or Tribe with the best overall reclamation project.
Small Project Award: Presented to the state or Tribe receiving less than $6 million annually in AML funding and completes a project costing less than $1 million.
Regional Awards: Presented to the state or Tribe with the best project within each of the following regions: Appalachian States, Interior States, and Western States and Tribes.
Previous AML Award winners introduced or refined techniques to achieve superior results in returning abandoned mine lands to productive use. Recent award-winning projects featured reforestation techniques, geomorphic land restoration, the creation of wetlands to mitigate acid mine drainage, landslide stabilization, watershed improvement, and other strategies to improve public health and safety and environmental conditions.
In fiscal year 2025, $725 million in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding and nearly $125 million in AML fee-based funding was available to eligible states and Tribes to reclaim AML sites to address dangerous and polluting abandoned mines and to create good-paying jobs and catalyze economic opportunity by reclaiming abandoned mine lands.
For more information about the awards, eligibility, and the nomination process and requirements, visit AML Reclamation Awards. Submit nominations or questions about the awards to OSMRE at [email protected].
– OSMRE –