- An Alliance For Community Action
- (970) 256-7650
- info@WesternColoradoAlliance.org
A path forward for the RECLAIM Act & coal communities
This week, the U.S. House Democrats introduced H.R.2, the Moving Forward Act, which calls for $1.5 trillion investment in transportation and infrastructure projects over the next five years. This is a massive 1,000+ page document that Alliance staff and leaders are still reading and analyzing to understand how it might help us achieve just, healthy, and self-reliant communities in Western Colorado.
From what we can tell, there are lots of bold ideas in this bill, impacting issues from rural broadband to housing, to renewable energy investments and coal and oil and gas cleanup plans. We are still evaluating all these proposals, but we are thrilled to see both the RECLAIM Act and Abandoned Mined Land (ALM) Reauthorization included in this bill. Act now to ensure the RECLAIM Act stays intact and makes it to the Senate!
The RECLAIM Act and the AML program both re-invest money into coal communities, putting miners back to work reclaiming old mines and creating economic development funds. Colorado alone could see $45 million reinvested in our state, putting miners back to work cleaning up mines and healing our lands.
We know it is a difficult path ahead for the Moving Forward Act and the Senate is unlikely to take up the full bill. However, the RECLAIM Act has enjoyed bipartisan support in the House and Senate for years. As our country faces the COVID 19 pandemic, the resulting economic fallout, and unprecedented demands for systemic change and reform, we believe it is time to be bold.
It is time to act and put long-supported community ideas into action. The RECLAIM Act was imagined and built by coalfield communities and it offers immediate money and solutions for us. The time is now to make it a reality. Contact Representative Scott Tipton today and ask him to be bold and invest in the future of Western Colorado coal communities.
Emily stepped up as our staff director in 2017, but originally joined our team as a community organizer in 2013. Born and raised on the Western Slope, Emily graduated from Colorado State University and then had the privilege of learning from and working alongside organizers in Central and South America as well as Appalachian coal country. They returned to their home state to protect the land they love and work with fellow Coloradans for a healthy, just and self-reliant future for our rural communities. Emily enjoys organizing, exploring the Colorado Plateau, country music and punk concerts with equal passion.