W. Va. Gov. Jim Justice and state DEP Secretary Harold Ward have announced nearly $26 million in federal grants for six Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program projects, according to WAJR.
DEP spokesman Terry Fletcher said the program is administered by the Office of Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation with funds from the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.
“Great projects all over the state that are reclaiming these abandoned mine lands, putting them to use for our communities, and cleaning up the environment at the same time,” Fletcher said.
The projects announced last week for AMLER funding include just more than $3 million for the Cinderella Adventure Resort in Mingo County. The project is on 4,600 acres in the town of Cinderella, which includes 22 miles of Hatfield McCoy Trails. When fully funded, the proposed project will include Cinderella Adventure Lake, a restaurant-store event center and entertainment venue, a conference center, 15 cabins, 20 RV sites and a renovation of the historic Cinderella Company.
A state-of-the-art trailside campground and up to seven miles of new bike trails for the new Mountain Trail Network in Wood County will receive $2.6 million.
