WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Interior and Environment Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2025 on Wednesday with support from Congressman Hal Rogers (KY-05), a senior appropriator who helped secure funding to enhance energy independence and revitalize coal mining communities. The bill provides additional funding for the Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization (AMLER) grant program that Congressman Rogers created in 2016, including nearly $30 million more for Kentucky. 
 
“This bill promotes energy production in the United States, which will lead to more jobs and lower energy costs for the American people. I’m proud that this bill also provides additional funding to help revitalize coal mining communities and cuts red tape that has delayed community projects,” said Congressman Rogers, Dean of the House. “We are also ensuring that the American people have recreational access to public lands for hunting and fishing.” 
 
Congressman Rogers advocated for several priorities in the bill, including the investment of no less than $500,000 for reforestation in the Appalachian region, early $60 million for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Fish Hatchery System Operations, and $35 million for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rural water technical assistance program grants to improve access to clean drinking water, helping with private water wells, and training for wastewater systems. The bill also reins in wasteful spending by the EPA with a 20% cut. 
 
The bill fully funds the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, which provided more than $2.1 million in 2024 to counties with federal land in Kentucky's Fifth Congressional District. 
 
The House Appropriations Committee advanced all 12 discretionary federal funding bills earlier this month for consideration on the House Floor. The Interior and Environment Appropriations Act is the fifth to move on to the Senate. 
 
For more information about Congressman Rogers’ work in Washington and at home in Kentucky, visit halrogers.house.gov or follow him on social media. 

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