Illinois e-News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025
IDNR accepting public comment on next round of mine reclamation projects
Deadline to comment is Jan. 31, 2026
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is accepting public comment through Jan. 31, 2026, about the abandoned mine lands reclamation projects that have been selected for work through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
IDNR’s Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Division has applied for $75.7 million for land and water reclamation work at 44 abandoned mine sites throughout Illinois to reclaim in the next five years. IDNR will continue to be eligible to receive $75.7 million per year through 2036 to address mine reclamation projects.
The Abandoned Mine Land program addresses serious environmental and safety problems at coal and non-coal mines that were abandoned before Aug. 3, 1977. States may use federal grants to address coal-abandoned mine land problems, including hazards resulting from legacy coal mining that pose a threat to public health, safety, and the environment; water supply restoration; and coal-abandoned mine land emergencies.
Comments can be emailed to
[email protected] or mailed to Lance Range, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Mines and Minerals, 1 Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702.
Projects proposed for the fourth year of the grant include:
Bond County
- Illinois Pocahontas – A smokestack will be demolished and removed or buried.
Christian County
- 1275 North Sag – Address a sag subsidence that causes drainage issues on a nearby roadway.
Franklin County
- Ward Mine – A main shaft will be excavated and filled in.
Fulton County
- Dallefeld and Glore – A vertical opening and portal will be filled and covered.
- Truax Traer SM-8 – Address erosion issues at a low water crossing.
- Eagle Mine – A main shaft will be filled and covered.
- New Bridge embankment – Address dangerous embankments near an adjacent roadway.
Gallatin County
- Eagle Strip, Area 2 – Stabilize dangerous piles and embankments.
- National Mining Co. – Dangerous highwall will be made safe.
- Peabody Eagle Bridge – A hazardous bridge will be replaced.
Grundy County
- Northern Illinois Coal Corp., Bass Lake – Investigate the lake and address drainage and flooding impacts on an adjacent roadway.
- Northern Illinois Coal Corp., Deer Lake – Steep slopes and embankments will be graded to safer slopes near an adjacent roadway.
Jackson County
- Tab Simco Coal Co. – Rebuild bioreactor for effective treatment of acid mine drainage.
- Burning Star No. 1 – Dangerous piles and embankments will be stabilized.
Kankakee County
- Northern Mine Pit 11 – Mine refuse will be covered and vegetated to address drainage and erosion issues.
La Salle County
- Osage Coal Co. – Eroded areas will be regraded or stabilized. Drainage will be restored by removing sediment or regrading.
- Osage Illman – Barren mine spoil area will be addressed to sustain vegetation. Drainageways will be constructed and lined with rock.
Livingston County
- West Cornell Mine – A vertical opening will be filled in.
Macoupin County
- Jarden Mine – A vertical opening will be filled in.
Montgomery County
- Indiana and Illinois Coal Corp. No. 15 – A deteriorating building will be demolished and debris removed, recycled, or buried as clean fill. An airshaft will be investigated and securely filled and covered.
Morgan County
- Wagstaff and Smith – Two shafts will be filled in.
Moultrie County
- Lovington Mine – A settled shaft excavated and filled in.
Peoria County
- McDaniel Mine – A vertical opening will be filled in. Facility concrete and brick remnants will be removed or buried on site.
- Beachum Mine – A portal will be filled in.
- Pioneer Collieries – Hazardous mine equipment will be recycled or disposed. Concrete and brick will be buried onsite.
- Elmwood Coal Co. – Steep portions of a mine refuse area will be regraded, and barren areas will be covered and vegetated.
- Midland Coal Co. Edwards Mine – Dangerous highwalls will be graded to safer slopes and erosion issues will be addressed.
Sangamon County
- Peabody Coal Co. Peerless Mine – Barren mine refuse will be buried or covered and vegetated.
- Denkert Coal Co. – A main shaft and air shaft will be filled in.
Schuyler County
- Demaree Road highwall – Rock will be placed to stabilize dangerous highwalls. A guardrail or other barrier may be installed.
St. Clair County
- Fullerton Mine – An air shaft will be filled in.
- Roachtown Road embankments – Dangerous embankments near a roadway will be graded to a more stable slope or protected with measures such as a guardrail.
- Old Schoolhouse Court – Address sag subsidence that causes drainage issues on a nearby roadway.
Vermilion County
- Consolidated Coal Co. Fairmount Mine – A shaft will be filled in.
- Kedas Mine – Two hazardous mine ponds will be investigated and stabilized to provide a safer environment.
Warren County
- E.J. Bailey – A settled air shaft and collapsed slopes will be filled in. Drainage out of the collapsed slopes will be addressed.
Will County
- Chicago, Wilmington and Vermilion Coal Co., D Mine – A vertical opening excavated and filled in.
- Murphy and Keenan No. 3 – Steep portions of mine refuse will be regraded, and barren areas will be covered and vegetated.
Williamson County
- Blue Bird Coal Co., Turner Mine – Gob mine refuse will be regraded and buried or covered.
- Carterville Mining and Engineering – Mine openings and slump excavated and filled in.
- Delta Collieries Tecumseh – A system will be selected and constructed for the effective treatment of acid mine drainage.
- Veterans Airport – Dangerous embankments will be stabilized and gob refuse removed to a landfill.
- Wenzel Brothers Surface Mine – Dangerous highwall will be made safe by cutting back, placing fill and creating slope.
Woodford County
- Roanoke Coal Co. – Mine refuse pile will be regraded and covered.
About IDNR
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is celebrating 100 years of conservation and service to the people of Illinois throughout 2025. The department was established July 1, 1925, as the Illinois Department of Conservation, bringing under one umbrella oversight of fish and game, forestry, public works, and lakes.
Today, IDNR’s work encompasses management of about 400 sites across Illinois, including state parks and historic sites; wildlife, fisheries, forestry, and natural heritage; Lake Michigan water allocation and coastal management; conservation police; mines and minerals; oil and gas; issuance of licenses, permits, and numerous grants; the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta; and the Illinois State Museum. Visit
https://dnr.illinois.gov for more information.
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