Assistance program
Science and Technology Projects Related to Coal Mining and Reclamation
$4.2 Million committed in FY2018–FY2026
- Agency
- Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior, Department of the
- Assistance
- Cooperative Agreements (Discretionary Grants)
- CFDA number
- 15.255
- What it does
- The goal of the OSMRE Applied Science Program is to develop and demonstrate improved science based technologies to address environmental, and restoration topics related to the mining of coal. The first objective to help us meet this goal is to develop technical tools to improve the efficiency and accuracy of regulatory authorities in permitting coal mines and administering their federally approved regulatory program. A second objective is to examine the potential for new technologies that can aid in the protection of the public and the environment during mining and reclamation. A third objective is to provide opportunities for college and university students to participate in research projects related to coal mining and reclamation issues in order to build a pool of qualified potential applicants for future implementation of SMCRA. Mine Drainage Technology Initiative (MDTI) (formally known as the Acid Mine Drainage Initiative) provides a forum for collaboration and information exchange with the following goals: •Develop an understanding of acidic and toxic mine drainage (MD) so as to better predict, avoid, monitor, and remediate mine drainage; •Develop innovative solutions to acidic and toxic MD water-quality problems; •Identify, evaluate, and develop “best science†practices to predict acidic and toxic MD prior to mining; and •Identify successful remediation practices for existing sources of acidic and toxic MD and describe the best technology for its prevention. OSMRE is looking for MDTI studies that address the goals listed above that have the potential for improving the effectiveness of both the coal industry and the regulatory authority to conduct and regulate surface coal mining and reclamation activities that protect the environment and the public.
- Who benefits
- Communities impacted by coal mining and reclamation of the land after mining.
- Who applies
- Applied Science Projects: Recipients may be any of the following: public, private, or non-profit entities; Federal, State, local or Tribal governments; and colleges and universities located in the United States. Mine Drainage Technology Initiative Projects: Recipients may be any of the following: public, private, or non-profit entities; State, local or Tribal governments; and colleges and universities located in the United States.
Committed by fiscal year
* FY2026 is year-to-date — the fiscal year is still in progress, so its total is still filling in. The striped band and dashed line mark that provisional stretch.
Top recipients
By dollars committed.
How to read these numbers
- Committed through this program
Money committed under this assistance listing (its CFDA program), counted in the year each action happened.
- How it's paid
Most programs pay out one way — a grant, or a direct payment to individuals; the flow bar only appears when a program genuinely mixes types.
- Some recipients aren't itemized
For entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, the government reports one aggregate instead of naming tens of millions of people, so the recipient roster isn't part of the public record.
- Awards, counted once
An award count is the number of distinct awards with at least one action that year — each counted once, however many times it was amended.
- The colored bars
Every bar on this page splits by how the money moves:
Direct payments