(l to r) Congressman Peterson, U.S. Senator Specter, Scott Roberts and

U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, PA Congressmen John Peterson and Tim Murphy, John Dawes head of the Pennsylvania AML Coalition, Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Secretary for Mineral Resources Management J. Scott Roberts met at an abandoned mine site near the Pittsburgh Airport in Bridgeville, Allegheny County, to mark passage of a 15 year extension to the federal Abandoned Mine Lands Trust Fund that will deliver over $1 billion to Pennsylvania for abandoned mine reclamation.

In addition, the Commonwealth will have the option of setting aside up to 30 percent of its total annual grant for cleanup of acid mine drainage that pollutes or degrades over 5,000 miles of rivers and streams in Pennsylvania.

Under the new law, the collection and distribution of abandoned mine lands funds will be overseen by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining. Allocation of funds will no longer require congressional approval, and will allow Pennsylvania and other states with historic abandoned mine problems to engage in long-term planning and budgeting.

The existing tax on the active mining industry, which is the primary source of income for the Abandoned Mine Lands Trust Fund, will be reduced by 20 percent over the next six years.

“The increased funding will be phased in over a five-year period, which will give us the opportunity to begin long-term planning and meet with local and state leaders to gather input on the future direction of Pennsylvania’s abandoned mine reclamation program,” Deputy Secretary Roberts said. “Although this extension does not change our mandate – we still have an obligation to reclaim the most dangerous sites – it will give us greater flexibility and allow us to accelerate the pace of that reclamation.”

DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation is developing a fact sheet that will outline the changes in the new law and let local watershed and community groups know how OSM intends to allocate funds to clean up Pennsylvania’s ‘worst in the nation’ abandoned mine problem.

In addition, the department is planning to conduct a series of public outreach meetings to involve state and local elected officials, environmental and watershed groups, businesses, foundations and economic development organizations to explore options for addressing the host of problems faced by Pennsylvania’s former mining communities, and to look at opportunities presented by this historic legislation.

The department will also be seeking input on alternative reclamation methods such as re-mining of abandoned sites under modern mining regulations, and investment in creative methods to turn mine drainage and mine lands into opportunities for economic development.

The Abandoned Mine Lands Trust Fund was created in 1977 with congressional passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Under the Act, OSM inventoried abandoned mine sites nationwide, established a priority ranking system for the danger aspect of mine sites, and created an online database of abandoned mine problems in each state.

The original program expired in 1992 and was reauthorized through 2003. Congress passed temporary extensions of the program in 2004, 2005 and 2006. The current extension takes effect on October 1, 2007 and extends the collection and distribution of fees through 2021.

NewsClips: 5,000+ Mine Sites Will Be Cleaned Up

$1 Billion to Help Clean Up Mine Sites Across PA

State to Use Federal Funding to Clean Up Abandoned Mines

PA to Use Funding to Clean Up Most Dangerous Abandoned Mines

Environment for Change in PA’s Abandoned Mines

1/5/2007