The OSMRE Applied Science Program funds the development of new reclamation science and technology to address environmental issues related to the mining of coal and reclamation of the land after mining. The program selects and funds applied science proposals that improve public and environmental health protection. The science and technology advanced by these projects serves the public through activities that:
• Protect identified endangered species
• Improve reforestation and re-vegetation
• Protect prime farmland
• Improve technologies to mitigate acid mine drainage
• Improve methods for locating underground mines
• Enhance the protection of the public and environment associated with surface coal mining
Deadline: March 21, 2025
Potential topics for Applied Science funding are as follows:
1. Long-Term Considerations for Treatment of Abandoned and Post-Mining Discharges
2. Validation of Current Water Treatment Chemical Model Assumptions
3. Evaluation of the Potential for Economical and Environmentally Friendly Extraction of Rare Earth Elements from Coal Mine Waste or Impacted Water Discharges
4. Applications of Imagery and Remote Sensing in the Mining/Reclamation Context
5. Geoengineering and design-based concepts for reforming mine lands to maximize potential for agricultural and food-centric post-mining land use
6. Advances in Mining or Reclamation Methods that Provide for more Effective, Efficient, or Lower Impact Extraction of Coal
7. Investigation of Ways of Minimizing Impacts from Invasive Species in the Mining/Reclamation Context
8. Ground truthing of subsidence models to improve model performance or development of better new models
9. Evaluating the temporal scale of surface mine reclamation on sage-grouse populations
10. Evaluation of native fish passage in relation to drainage structures in streams
Award Ceiling: $200,000
Award Floor: $100,000