States and tribes receive half a billion to clean up abandoned coal mines

A number of American states and tribes have received more than a lump of coal in their stockings this Christmas.

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement on Thursday, together with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, announced $485 million is being given to states and tribes to eliminate health and safety hazards caused by past coal mining.

The funds are $90 million more than given last year.

Wyoming received the most, $150 million, followed by Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky and Illinois. The Navajo Nation will get $7.2 million, the Crow Tribe $2.2 millon and the Hopi Tribe $1.4 million.

The full breakdown is as follows:

Alabama $9,439,875 New Mexico $5,538,041
Alaska $3,000,000 North Dakota $3,921,596
Arkansas $3,000,000 Ohio $16,485,743
Colorado $8,655,603 Oklahoma $3,000,000
Illinois $24,080,075 Pennsylvania $67,152,367
Indiana $16,141,131 Tennessee $3,000,000
Iowa $3,000,000 Texas $5,413,781
Kansas $3,000,000 Utah $4,939,010
Kentucky $46,998,225 Virginia $11,330,795
Louisiana $426,215 West Virginia $66,495,521
Maryland $3,000,000 Wyoming $150,018,677
Mississippi $257,477 Crow Tribe $2,164,911
Missouri $3,000,000 Hopi Tribe $1,435,253
Montana $13,402,468 Navajo Nation $7,216,702