The Department of Environmental Protection, in cooperation with the DEP Citizen’s Advisory Council, has scheduled two additional public town hall meetings to gather public input regarding how to best utilize increased federal abandoned mine reclamation funding.

The hearings will be held:

· September 12 – Lock Haven Univ. of Pennsylvania, Founders Hall, Clearfield

· September 13 – IUP at Northpointe, Room 131, Freeport

As a result of the changes to the federal legislation known as the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, Pennsylvania is now poised to receive about $1.4 billion to reclaim abandoned coal mines over the next 15 years. Amended by Congress in December 2006, SMCRA will give Pennsylvania more flexibility to fix its abandoned coal mine hazards.

Eight similar meetings were already held throughout Pennsylvania’s coal regions. These additional meetings will provide concerned Pennsylvanians with even more opportunity to weigh in on how those funds should be used.

Pennsylvania has more abandoned coal mine problems than anywhere else in the country, with approximately 250,000 acres of mine-scarred land and nearly 5,000 miles of stream affected by over 100 years of unregulated coal mining practices. Highwalls (man-made cliffs), underground mine fires, subsidence, and abandoned mining structures are among the problems that litter the landscape. Acid mine drainage remains Pennsylvania’s number one water pollution problem.

Among the issues to be discussed will be new opportunities to direct more money toward fixing acid mine drainage problems. Under the new law, the state now has the option to set aside an even greater amount of their annual grants to address water quality problems stemming from abandoned coal mines.

As a prelude to the public input portion of the town hall meetings, Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation will present a video aimed toward the general public explaining Pennsylvania’s abandoned mine problems and SMCRA Title IV funding.

The video is available on WPCAMR's website.

The meetings will also provide an opportunity for public review of Pennsylvania’s Abandoned Mine Land inventory and maps during a poster session.

From the levels of public participation in the meetings to date, there is obviously significant public interest in abandoned mine reclamation throughout the coal regions of the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania is commendably the only state to ask for public comment in formulating how best to use the increased funding from SMCRA.

(Reprinted from Abandoned Mine Posts and written by Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator)

8/31/2007