Clean water from Audenreid AMD Treatment Facility, Schuylkill County

The Department of Environmental Protection, in conjunction with the DEP Citizens Advisory Council and the Mining and Reclamation Advisory Board, has scheduling a series of town hall meetings on how to most effectively use the up to 30 percent of new federal Abandoned Mine Reclamation funds available to the state.

The new law reauthorization provides for a significant increase in funds available to the Commonwealth for abandoned mine reclamation. It also offers the Commonwealth the opportunity to set aside up to 30 percent of these funds for abatement and treatment of abandoned mine drainage.

The intent of the meetings is to enable the public to provide input to help in the decision-making process for expenditure of these funds. The decision to set aside funds for mine drainage abatement and treatment, and the appropriate level, must be weighed against the need to restore sites that impact the health and safety of the Commonwealth’s citizens.

DEP is also accepting written comments at the following address: Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Attn.: AML Comments, P.O. Box 8476, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8476.

The meetings will be held on the following dates in the following locations:

· May 22 - EPCAMR Office, Shavertown;

· May 23 - Schuylkill Conservation District Office, Pottsville;

· May 24 - Hillside Rod & Gun Club, Blossburg;

· May 30 - Robertsdale Fire Hall, Robertsdale;

· May 31 - DEP Cambria Office, Ebensburg;

· June 5 - Jennings Environmental Center, Slippery Rock;

· June 6 - California University of PA, Morgan Hall, California;

· June 7 - Penn State University, Dubois Campus, Hiller Auditorium, Dubois, PA

The agenda for the meetings will be:

· 4:00 - 5:30 PM - Educational videos and overview of recent legislative changes;

· 5:30 - 6:30 PM - Opportunity for the public to review PA’s Abandoned Mine Land inventory and maps (poster session); and

· 6:30 - 8:30 PM - Town hall meeting

For more information contact: Sue Wilson, Citizens Advisory Council at 717-787-4527 or e-mail suswilson@state.pa.us; Rich Joyce, DEP BAMR Harrisburg at 717-787-7669 or e-mail rijoyce@state.pa.us; Pam Milavec, DEP BAMR Cambria District Office at 814-472-1800 or e-mail pmilavec@state.pa.us; or Mike Ferko, DEP BAMR Wilkes-Barre District Office at 570-826-2371 or e-mail mferko@state.pa.us .

For more information and directions, visit the Town Hall meetings webpage.

5/11/2007