Filling a void

Joel James, Brierly Associates, gave a presentation on the status of the Abandoned Mines Land (AML) program in Hanna on February 9. He explained the purpose of the program was to mitigate hazards to public health and safety posed by abandoned mines, which Hanna has in abundance.

The program is funded by federal fees on current coal mining. He said final disbursement of AML funds ends in 2022, but that reclamation work will continue past 2022.

James said, in 2020, the completed mitigation projects were Area C Phase 1 (the Hanna Elementary School) and Hanna No. 1 (Power Pole).

James showed the w...