LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - The Biden administration on Monday (Feb 7) said US$725 million (S$974 million) in federal funds would be available to states this year to clean up abandoned coal mines, one of several initiatives aimed at reducing pollution from decades of fossil fuel development.

The money represents a portion of the US$11.3 billion allocated to mine reclamation in the infrastructure law that Congress passed last year. The programme is part of President Joe Biden's pledge to create jobs and improve health and safety while combating climate change.

The Interior Department said it will distribute US$725 million every year for the next 15 years to states and tribes based on their needs. For fiscal year 2022, the funding is available to 22 states and the Navajo Nation.

The funding will prioritise projects that hire displaced coal workers, the Interior Department said. The administration is hoping the jobs will help mining regions like Appalachia as they seek to diversify their economies.

Such work could include closing dangerous mine shafts, reclaiming unstable slopes, treating acid mine drainage, and restoring water supplies damaged by mining, the Interior Department said.

The state of Pennsylvania is eligible for the most funding, nearly US$245 million, followed by West Virginia, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio.

The allocations are based on the number of tons of coal historically produced in each state before the 1977 passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, which created a fund for the cleanup of abandoned mine lands.