The Department of Environmental Protection Tuesday announced it has awarded a Government Financed Construction Contract to P. and N. Coal Company, Inc. of Punxsutawney for a mine reclamation project in Winslow Township, Jefferson County.

“This awarded contract is just one example of the department’s efforts to reclaim abandoned mine sites across the state for the safety of our citizens and the health of our environment,” DEP Mining Engineer Roger Bowman said.

The project will include the incidental removal of coal and the reclamation of 19 acres of abandoned deep mine and subsidence areas. The reclamation work will occur within the Redbank Creek sub basin, and will eliminate safety hazards, promote positive drainage to Fehley Run and contribute to the improved use of the property for wildlife habitat.

Located on the north side of State Route 1002, near the community of Rathmel, the project area is part of an abandoned deep mine from the 1920s on the Lower Freeport coal seam. The project will take 24 months to complete and is estimated to cost $137,000.

The Federal Office of Surface Mining has authorized DEP to enter into GFCCs to remove incidental and necessary coal on reclamation contracts that are less than 50 percent federally funded as a means of enhancing the environment and aesthetic values of the Commonwealth.

6/16/2014