Anne Daymut, WPCAMR, and Robert Hughes, EPCAMR

In 1999, along with Growing Greener, Pennsylvania signed into law the Environmental Good Samaritan Act (EGSA).  This law is intended to encourage landowners and others to undertake projects to reclaim abandoned mineral extraction lands and abate water pollution caused by abandoned mines and oil and gas wells. The EGSA protects landowners and individuals who volunteer to do such projects from civil and environmental liability. Eligibility and specific protections are described in this Fact Sheet.

WPCAMR and EPCAMR, along with multiple local and national environmental agencies and organizations, have been pushing for Federal Good Samaritan legislation for abandoned mine reclamation projects for several years now. Recently, lawmakers have been taking notice and a proposal is expected soon that will be modeled after Pennsylvania’s EGSA. Further, proponents of the law hope that projects already registered with the PA EGSA will automatically benefit from the added protections of a federal law.

Not all AMD remediation projects across Pennsylvania have been registered with the PA EGSA. The lack of PA EGSA registration for your project could be putting your organization and project cooperators in jeopardy. WPCAMR and EPCAMR are pushing to have a great number of existing systems registered in the next couple months as any proposed federal legislation gains steam. A full list of registered projects can be viewed at HERE.

It is up to local watershed organizations, who own most of PA’s AML projects, to become the best example they can be to further the movement of any Federal Good Samaritan legislation. Please do your part and register your AMD treatment systems for the PA EGSA. Anne Daymut of WPCAMR will be directly contacting those responsible for AMD treatment systems across Pennsylvania that have yet to register in the coming months.

Registration materials can be found HERE.

Any Watershed Groups, Conservation Districts, Conservancy Groups, or other organizations that have received funding through Growing Greener over the last 7 years should seriously consider registering their completed projects for coverage under the PA EGSA legislation. Groups in the EPCAMR Region are encouraged to contact Anne Daymut, should they need assistance.