CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Gov. Matt Mead and others plan to announce what's being described as "significant corporate partnerships" to advance energy research and education at the University of Wyoming.

The announcement will take place Friday at the State Capitol in Cheyenne. UW President Tom Buchanan also will be there.

Last year, the UW School of Energy Resources took a hit when Congress capped payments to states under the federal Abandoned Mine Lands Program. The program is supposed to be used to reclaim former mines but the money often went to other purposes.

That was especially the case in Wyoming, which has relatively few abandoned mines compared to eastern states.

Wyoming got more than $150 million in AML funding last year. The UW School of Energy Resources got $50 million of that amount.

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