Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the availability of more than $395 million in grants to states and tribes to restore abandoned mine lands nationwide, an increase of $25 million over last year. The Office of Surface Mining will award grants to the states and tribes over the next nine months as they apply for specific reclamation projects. Of the total $395 million in FY 2011 grants, $150 million comes from the reclamation fees collected, while $245 million is derived from the U.S. Treasury.
