By Andy McAllister, WPCAMR Regional Coordinator

By now, everyone has been made aware of the so-called, "fiscal cliff" that, if Congress fails to act to reduce the deficit before the end of this year, automatic across-the-board spending cuts  and tax hikes will take effect. 

What most people don't know is how sequestration would have a deleterious effect on Abandoned Mine Reclamation in Pennsylvania.

If Congress fails to act and sequestration occurs, the AML Fund would be adversely affected.  A 7.6 percent reduction in federal AML Trust Fund grants nationwide will occur on January 2, 2013 as a result of the sequestration.

The AML Trust Fund is not a tax and is not funded from the U.S. Treasury.  The fees collected and deposited into the federal AML Trust Fund are derived from a per-ton fee assessed on each ton of coal mined by the active mining industry and can only be used for purposes authorized under Title IV of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). 

Sequestering these funds would not benefit the federal budget deficit and would result in negative environmental and economic consequences.

A mandatory cut of 7.6 percent for Pennsylvania's Title IV AML Grant would initially result in an approximate reduction of $5.1 million (compared to 2012 construction budgets) for construction of AML and AMD projects, thereby slowing the state's progress in eliminating its legacy of mining hazards and in restoring mine drainage impacted streams.

Fewer AML/AMD contracts would be awarded, thus reducing local employment and reducing the purchase of materials, goods and services used in AML projects.  A corresponding reduction in local, state and federal tax revenues will result.

Prior to the passage of SMCRA in 1977, over one-third of all of the coal historically mined in the United States was mined in Pennsylvania.  As a result of this significant coal mining legacy, over 180,000 acres of abandoned mine lands remain in need of reclamation.  These AML sites are located in 45 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. 

The cost to reclaim the sites exceeds $1.1 billion.  Fatalities continue to occur on these un-reclaimed AML sites each year while over 5,500 miles of Pennsylvania's rivers and streams remain polluted from AMD.

In a 2008 report released from Trout Unlimited, it was reported that for every $1 of external funds spent on local AMD remediation, local economies receive $1.36 to $1.87 in local economic activity in addition to healthy streams.

In other words, the businesses and workers in the area where AML/AMD work is taking place not only gain economically from the cleaner, safer environment; they also receive wages and make purchases from regional businesses that go beyond the remediation expenditures.

Additionally, AML projects often leverage other private and public funds, and once reclaimed, encourage economic development such as industrial parks, agricultural uses, while encouraging tourism.

Finally, the work completed by reclamation contractors in Pennsylvania provides well-paying jobs for Pennsylvania workers and supports many local businesses that provide equipment, materials, supplies and services required to complete the reclamation projects. 

Plain and simple, any reduction in AML/AMD funding to Pennsylvania will reduce jobs in coalfield communities.

Your help is urgently needed to support efforts to exempt the federal AML Trust Fund from the sequestration process and thereby maintain funding to Pennsylvania's AML and AMD Programs.

Please contact your U.S. Representative as well as U.S. Senators Casey and Toomey and  tell them how important the AML Trust Fund is to Pennsylvania and that it needs to be exempt from sequestration. 

Sending your letter via email is the best way to get your opinions to your Representatives quickly.

Click Here to find contact information for your U.S. Representative.

Click Here to find contact information for U.S. Senators Casey and Toomey.  

As a member of the Abandoned Mine Reclamation community in Pennsylvania, we need your voice to be heard!

The Western and Eastern Coalitions for Abandoned Mine Reclamation work with watershed volunteers, technical remediation experts, and government agencies to reclaim lands and streams polluted by historic coal mining in Pennsylvania.

12/3/2012