The National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs recently honored Brian Bradley, Assistant Director of DEP's Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation with the Stan Barnard Award.

Brian began his career with DEP in the mine regulatory program in 1985 as a Mining Specialist Trainee reviewing surface mining permit applications. He moved to PA’s abandoned mine land (AML) program in 1986 as a geologist Trainee.

Brian began his career in the AML Program as a project developer working to complete project development for pre-SMCRA AML sites and bond forfeiture sites.

Within the project development group in the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation’s Harrisburg office, he steadily advanced up the career ladder. He advanced to a Hydrogeologist 1 in 1987, to a Hydrogeologist 2 in 1990, to a Professional Geologist Manager in 1993, to the Chief of the Division of Project Development in 2005, and finally, in 2016, to the position of Assistant Bureau Director.

Brian has spent the last 34 years working to reclaim Pennsylvania’s large inventory of AML features and to restore AMD impacted streams. Brian recently achieved 35 years of service with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Brian is a dedicated public servant committed to the elimination of health and safety hazards and the restoration of environmental degradation resulting from abandoned and unreclaimed coal mining sites located across both the anthracite and bituminous coal fields of Pennsylvania.

He has not only worked on abandoned mine land issues in Pennsylvania but has been involved in national AML issues by actively serving as Pennsylvania’s alternate delegate to the National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs since 2012.

Brian is an active member of NAAMLP who shares his perspective and thoughtful advice during NAAMLP business meetings.  Brian has served in a variety of capacities during his involvement with NAAMLP.

Since its inception in February of 2014, he has served as the co-chairman of NAAMLP’s Reauthorization Committee. The role of the committee has changed significantly over time, and Brian has been able to quickly adapt and continue undeterred with the main goal of seeing the AML fee reauthorized beyond its current expiration in September 2021.

He also accepted another leadership role as the chairman of the Data Reporting Workgroup which grew out of the December 2017 AML Summit. The AML Summit was a collaboration between NAAMLP, OSMRE [federal Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement], and the IMCC to look at several SMCRA Title IV issues of mutual concern to all involved and work together to share a common message related to the need for reauthorization of the AML Program.

More recently, these two roles grew together and NAAMLP decided in September 2018 to form the Title IV Oversight Steering Committee (or Workgroup). Brian has served as a hardworking member of this committee since its establishment.

Brian has served in leadership roles on many of these committees and workgroups. He has worked hand in hand with staff from OSM Regional offices, OSM Headquarters, IMCC [Interstate Mining Compact Commission], other NAAMLP member states and tribes, and various NGOs.

In support of NAAMLP, Brian played a key role in several of the annual NAAMLP Conferences hosted by Pennsylvania (1999 – Seven Springs; 2010 – Scranton; and 2019 – Pittsburgh).

For the most recent conference which took place last September in Pittsburgh, Brian served on three standing committees including Budget and Finance, Registration, and Hotel and Meeting Space.

He played a key role with the Hotel and Meeting Space committee assisting with the negotiating of contracts with the facilities and ensuring that all details required for a successful conference and business meeting were addressed.

He wanted to ensure that his fellow NAAMLP colleagues would not only have a facility where they could conduct both a productive and successful conference and association business meeting, but they would also be able enjoy their time in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

During Brian’s involvement with NAAMLP, he has been involved at some level in a host of AML issues including review and analysis of proposed legislation and evaluation of several initiatives being pursued or considered at the national level.

These include the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization or AMLER proposal in 2015; multiple versions of the federal RECLAIM Act (a.k.a: The Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More Act) in 2017 and 2019; the AML Pilot Program beginning in 2016 and continuing to the present; continued federal budget sequestration and its impact on AML grants since 2013; reauthorization of SMCRA Title IV (including various bills and proposals); various issues related to federal budgets and associated continuing resolutions; coal Good Samaritan bills; Abandoned Mine Land Inventory System (e-AMLIS) analysis and issues; undelivered orders; and OSMRE AML Program oversight issues.

Working in concert with his efforts on behalf of NAAMLP, Brian has been very active with the IMCC and its AML Committee, pursuing many of the same issues and initiatives as NAAMLP.

In many ways, he has served as an adjunct staff member to IMCC, assisting Greg Conrad, Tom Clarke and, in the recent past, Ryan Ellis, with the Commission’s legislative and policy work. According to Greg Conrad, IMCC could not have accomplished all that they had, especially on AML reauthorization, without Brian's diligent, thoughtful and consistent advice, counsel and input.

Brian is well respected among the members of NAAMLP as well as the staff of the [federal] Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement. In fact, OSM has from time to time requested his input on and review of AML-related issues and work products.

In all that he does, Brian exudes Stan-like qualities [Stan Barnard, for whom the Award is named]. Like Stan, his positive attitude and never give up approach to solving problems are infectious, and similarly, his demeanor has a way of putting people at ease and getting everyone to work together.

Stan Barnard had a warm personality and enjoyed the company of his colleagues and friends. Brian Bradley shares these traits.

He is a very positive and warm-hearted person. He is very committed to NAAMLP and the AML Program and is always willing to offer advice or to help others out with any AML or NAAMLP issues.

He takes great pride in the work the Pennsylvania AML Program does as well as the combined accomplishments of all of the member AML programs of NAAMLP.

He is a team player dedicated to ensuring the Association advances the cause of successful reclamation of AML in his home state of Pennsylvania and across the nation.

[Learn more about abandoned mine reclamation in Pennsylvania by visiting DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation webpage.

[Reclamation Fee Reauthorization

[Unless Congress acts to reauthorize the per ton federal abandoned mine reclamation fee that funds mine reclamation projects in states like Pennsylvania that have hundreds of thousands of acres of abandoned mine lands in need of reclamation will not be able to continue these efforts.

[Visit the PA AML Campaign website for more information from the point of view of local and regional groups involved in abandoned mine reclamation in Pennsylvania.

[Visit the Our Work’s Not Done website supported by states involved in the federal abandoned mine reclamation program.]

(Photo: Award-winning Ehrenfeld mine reclamation site in Cambria County designed and reclamation by the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation and local contractors; and Brian Bradley.)

(Reprinted from the Fall 2020 National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs newsletter.)

Related Article:

-- Ehrenfeld Abandoned Mine Reclamation Project In Cambria County Wins National Recognition; Renewal Of Federal Reclamation Fee Needed Now

Conservation Leadership:

-- 233 Stories: These Conservation Leaders Gave Us Cleaner Water, Land & Air In 2020! They Deserve Our Thanks, Our Support! 

-- Bay Journal: Nearly 30 Landowners Look To Cooperate In Record-Length Stream Restoration Taking Shape In Lancaster County

-- DCNR Good Natured Pennsylvanians: Noel Schneeberger, Conservation Volunteer

-- DCNR Good Natured Blog: Looking Back On 5 Years Of The PA Outdoor Corps

[Posted: December 23, 2020]

12/28/2020