Congressman Cohen Announces $8.6 Million to Clean Up Abandoned Coal Mines in Tennessee
The Congressman was the only remaining member of the Tennessee Congressional Delegation to support the bipartisan effort
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that the State of Tennessee’s Department of Environment and Conservation will be receiving $8.6 million to reclaim abandoned coal mines through the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. The funding, largely for mine cleanups in Eastern and Middle Tennessee, was authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that was supported by only two members of the Tennessee delegation – Congressman Cohen and former Congressman Jim Cooper, both Democrats.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
“This substantial investment to eliminate dangerous environmental hazards and pollution caused by coal mining is the right thing to do, even if those who represent most of the residents who will benefit opposed the bipartisan effort to address our long-term infrastructure needs. I am proud to have supported the IIJA and the good-paying jobs that will support a reversal of harms done by decades of coal extraction in Tennessee.”
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