The Division of Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) works throughout the state’s coal fields to protect the public from health and safety problems caused by mining that occurred prior to 1982.

Examples of hazards that can be found on abandoned mine sites are landslides, water-filled pits, open mine portals and dilapidated equipment and buildings. The division restores these degraded sites to a safe and environmentally stable condition through a process known as reclamation.

The division also administers a bond forfeiture reclamation program. Before coal companies begin mining at a site, they must post a reclamation bond. A company's bond may be forfeited to the commonwealth if the company fails to mine and reclaim a site to the standards specified in its mining permit. The forfeited funds are used by the state to reclaim the site for which the bond was posted.

DAML also administers a water supply replacement program. The division extends waterlines into areas where drinking water has been contaminated by past mining. The division budgets up to 30 percent of its annual funding on waterline projects each year.

The division’s AML program is 100 percent funded by the federal government. The federal government gets its funding for AML programs by collecting a fee on every ton of coal produced by mining operations nationwide. The division has a central office in Frankfort and field offices in Prestonsburg, London and Madisonville.

Emergency Contact
If you want to report a problem and it is an emergency situation where life or property is in danger, you should contact the
Federal Office of Surface Mining's AML Emergency Office in
Lexington at 1-800-936-5845.

Field Offices
If you are experiencing difficulty with an abandoned mine land problem and wish to report it to this division for investigation, please call the regional office that services the county where the problem is located.

STAY OUT/STAY ALIVE

Abandoned mines are not playgrounds!  Many people, especially the young, are injured or killed each year because they wrongly assume abandoned mines are safe places to play or explore.

AML FEE REAUTHORIZATION APPROVED FOR 15 YEARS

Comprehensive legislation reauthorizing the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) program under Title IV of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) was passed by the congress on Dec. 9, 2006, and was signed by the president on Dec. 20, 2006.  This bill represents the culmination of years of work by the states, federal government and others to address the future of the AML program.

Search Federal AML Inventory System
Not all Kentucky AML problems have been entered into the federal database, primarily because of the large volume of AML problems in the commonwealth.  However, Kentucky does maintain an in-house inventory that contains all reported AML problems in the state.