Robert E. Hughes, Executive Director goes on to say, “We work with our underserved communities and school districts to provide environmental education programs, events, community cleanup projects, environmental restoration projects, and land and water remediation efforts to improve the community health and well-being of our region that have been underrepresented, underfunded, and not been prioritized strongly enough on the State level to receive the attention these communities deserve.”

Robert E. Hughes, EPCAMR Executive Director surrounded by 5th grade students from Heights Elementary at a Trout in the Classroom release event and AMD Education Program at Frances Slocum State Park.

EPCAMR agrees that environmental justice does embody the principles that coalfield communities should not be disproportionately exposed to adverse environmental impacts, yet, we continue to live in both urban and rural communities that are surrounded by 5,597 miles of streams and 178,537 acres of abandoned mine lands across PA that are impacted by abandoned mine drainage (AMD) that render our watersheds, rivers, and streams that are affected unable to be utilized for what many communities take for granted, such as fishing, boating, swimming, industrial use, and on the water outdoor recreational uses.

Below are EPCAMR’s Executive Director’s responses to the PA DEP Office of Environmental Justice’s specific questions.

Specific Questions

— What environmental justice concerns are most pressing in your community?

The most pressing environmental justice concerns in our community are non-point source pollution from abandoned mine lands in the form of abandoned mine drainage (AMD), the illegal dumping of household hazardous wastes, tires, trash, and drug paraphernalia on lands and along streams within the coalfield communities. Thousands of miles of streams are impacted and polluted by AMD. Thousands more are impacted by abandoned mine lands. Figure 1. was created by EPCAMR using PA’s 2017 Abandoned Mine Land Inventory System (AMLIS).

Figure 1. State of Abandoned Mine Lands in PA

Statistics on AML in PA

There is a lack of prioritization of funding under many of the State Programs for these communities. Many of the communities have designations within them under on the stream segments that on the Federal level and State Level which list them as on Federal List of Impaired Waters, making them eligible for funding, however they are not given priority, in many cases under the State’s Growing Greener Grant Program, for example. Many of the stream segments and watersheds throughout NE and NC PA are also not qualified to receive additional Federal funding under the State’s Set Aside Program, funded under the Surface Mining Reclamation Control & Reclamation Act’s Title IV Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund yearly allocation because they are not designated as Qualified Hydrologic Units, nor do they have Qualified Hydrologic Unit Plans developed.

Figure 2. below shows that only 5 QHU Plans have been officially developed that EPCAMR is aware of and we understand that a few more are underway in some other coalfield impacted watersheds in the Southern Anthracite Coalfields and in the Eastern Middle Anthracite Region. EPCAMR has offered to provide the technical assistance to develop these plans for approval should funding become available to allow our organization to properly assess the watersheds and stream segments to meet the criteria under the Set Aside Program. We have proposed grants to perform such technical tasks in previous grant rounds and were denied funding for the opportunity to assist the State in the much-needed development of these QHUPs. The denial of funding could have been due to limited funds available under the Program.

Figure 2. Hydrologic Unit Plans Approved Across PA (PA DEP, 2009)

2016 Qualified Hydrologic Unit Plans in PA

Figure 3. shows the 39 locations that are designated Environmental Justice areas within the 16 County EPCAMR Region, where only 15 political municipal sub-divisions have been designated, within 15 unified places, in 11 School Districts. ~ 19,461.50 acres of land affected within this region. These numbers are grossly underreported and EPCAMR believes that many more communities and tracts need to be added and expanded to include additional coalfield communities throughout the EPCAMR Region. There are entire watersheds that are impacted by AMD that are not included in these areas, which means that they are not getting the attention that they deserve. The impacts of AMD and water pollution do not stop at political boundaries and Census Tracts. It may be more suitable to begin looking at increasing areas of Environmental Justice to watershed boundaries that are more clearly defined and then one can review the statistics to see where the concentration of the pollution problems are located.

One will find that in certain watersheds, the headwater areas will be unimpacted, with less dense populations affected, and then as you follow the streams and tributaries down into the Valley cities and municipalities, they areas become more impacted and areas are highly concentrated with larger populations that experience the environmental justice issues. Non-profit organizations like EPCAMR are always looking to secure funding to work with these communities because often times, there are no professionally staffed environmental organizations within these communities to do the research and are trained to perform the necessary assessments, grant writing, technical reporting, and monitoring that is required to secure funds to improve the overall quality and community health of their watersheds.

Our communities also lack large community foundations and access to funds to cleanup our communities.

Figure 3. Acreage, Poverty % Statistics, County Subdivision, and Unified School Districts in the EPCAMR Region (US Census, 2010)

— Do you feel that the current definition of an environmental justice community (20 percent poverty or 30 percent minority, or both) properly represents the needs of your community and the Commonwealth at large?

No. The definition should not define environmental justice solely by the 20% poverty rate or the 30% minority population because minority populations are not the only ones affected by environmental pollution. It should not matter what the percentage is if the pollution problem exists because the polluted lands and water don’t discriminate against population segments or Census defined categories of people based on their minority or ethnic backgrounds.

— Do you feel the Department is engaged with marginalized communities to ensure that they have a voice in the decision-making process? How can the Department be more engaged with these communities?

No. I have not seen the OEJ in our particular region of NE PA. We have many communities that are marginalized in our region and none of the listening sessions are even located in our area. EPCAMR is in an OEJ community and are not aware of any attempts to make the Borough of Ashley or a group such as ours aware of the impacts that certain projects may have on our community. We need to be able to provide easier access to the political process and be sure that our volunteers and members of the communities that we are serving are having their voice heard. We have no Regional Coordinator for the NE Region of PA.  The OEJ can make our organization more aware of projects and meetings and then we can let our community groups know about them through our network to encourage more participation and local involvement. Legal ads and public notices are not often seen by the communities that we work in if they are used to notify the public about permits, nor is the Federal Register. EPCAMR is a non-profit that could benefit from the support of industries that are coming into the area that want to have a positive impact on the surrounding communities if they were able to provide donations of services, grants, a volunteer incentive program, or opportunities for partnerships on projects that will improve the environment. Notification should include community centers, electronic notices to regional non-profit groups, and municipalities.

— What tools have you used to find out information on Department permitting/enforcement actions?

e-Facts (http://www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/eFACTSWeb/default.aspx). Review of Surface Mining Permits in the Pottsville or Moshannon District Mining Offices.

— What ways can the Department be more effective at sharing information with the public?

E-mails to the public who sign up to receive notifications of permitting and enforcement actions or new projects.

— How can the Department be more effective at receiving public input?

Provide notification to people who sign up through a website portal through the OEJ to receive additional input and notifications on public information for projects, permitting, or enforcement actions. Flyers should go to community centers and municipal buildings in the EJ areas.

— What resource is your community lacking that the Department can provide that would assist in efforts to ensure environmental equity?

Funding to be able to conduct outreach to the community members of the EJ areas to build capacity within the communities to allow them to have a voice.

— What additional steps can be taken by the Department to effectively reach out to these vulnerable communities to ensure that their concerns are taken into consideration?

Provide a Regional Coordinator for the NE Region.

Below is some information from the PA DEP OEJ Website.

Download the Listening Tour brochure 

PROVIDE US WITH YOUR COMMENTS & THOUGHTS BY MAY 25

• In person at one of the EJ listening tour stops
• Online at DEP-OEJ@pa.gov
• In writing at:

Rachel Carson State Ofce Building
Office of Environmental Justice
400 Market Street, 16th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17101

SESSION SCHEDULE REMAINING

May 11, 2017 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Lehigh County

Allentown Public Library

Community Room

1210 Hamilton Street

Allentown, PA 18102

May 15, 2017, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Lancaster County

HACC Lancaster Campus

East Building, Room 203

1641 Old Philadelphia Pike

Lancaster, PA 17602

May 23, 2017, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Delaware County

Chester City Hall Council Chambers

1 Fourth Street,

Chester, PA 19013

May 25, 2017, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Philadelphia County

Fairmount Water Works

640 Water Works Drive

Philadelphia, PA 19130

CONTACT US

Carl Jones, Jr., Esq. Director
caejone@pa.gov, (484) 250-5818

Nora Alwine, Regional Coordinator
nalwine@pa.gov, (412) 442-4137

John Brakeall, Regional Coordinator
jbrakeall@pa.gov, (717) 783-9731

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Ofce of Environmental Justice
P.O. Box 7732 Harrisburg, PA 17101
(484) 250-5942

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Apply now for the $5,000 ARIPPA AML/AMD Mini-grant award program through EPCAMR.  EPCAMR and WPCAMR have partnered with the Anthracite Region Independent Power Producer’s Association (ARIPPA) to offer a competitive award to watershed organizations working on Abandoned Mine Land (AML) and/or Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) remediation projects.

Grants at a maximum of $2,500 will be awarded to at least one eligible environmental organization or Conservation District in the Anthracite Region and one eligible environmental organization or Conservation District in the Bituminous Region in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania actively working on AML/AMD issues. Smaller grants are encouraged. Grant proposals should be for on-the-ground AML/AMD projects with a completion date between July 2017 and June 2018. Proposals are due July 7th. The amount granted is dependent upon demonstrated need. Applying organizations must support the mission of ARIPPA, including the removal and conversion of waste coal into alternative energy and the beneficial use of CFB ash for AML/AMD reclamation. You can obtain the official Request for Proposals and supporting documents here. EPCAMR will be receiving the $5000 donation on August 16th at their annual Technical Convention in Harrisburg, PA.

“EPCAMR has been able to leverage over hundreds of thousands of dollars in total over the last decade or more throughout our region in support of reclamation, education, and remediation projects on small scale projects thanks to the donations of the member Co-Gen plants of ARIPPA. Coalition partners that we work with tend to make a little bit of money go a long way in the coal region. We wouldn’t  be able to support our community efforts to reclaim abandoned mine lands without them as our long-term partner. We’re very appreciative of the efforts of George Ellis, ARIPPA Executive Director and his Staff, Cristy Doyle, and his member plants who have been great partners over the long term with EPCAMR,” emphasized Robert E. Hughes, EPCAMR Executive Director.

Due in part to ARIPPA member activities, unsightly coal refuse piles and the problems associated with them are gradually disappearing. Thousands of acres of land have been and continue to be reclaimed to a natural state or for productive use and future development. ARIPPA facilities remove and utilize coal refuse from both past and current mining activities, thereby abating acid mine drainage from coal refuse piles. Further, the technology used to convert coal refuse to electricity, known as Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) technology, produces alkaline-rich ash by-products. There are many beneficial uses for CFB ash, including filling mine pits, replacement for lime (for AMD remediation), a soil amendment at mining sites, and a concrete additive for roadways.

The unique nature of ARIPPA’s work, combined with the desire to coordinate efforts with environmentally-oriented groups and governmental agencies, symbolizes a commitment to improving the landscape and environment of our nation. If waste coal-fired plants are forced to close due to unreasonable regulations, streams will continue to be contaminated, public safety will continue to be at risk due to the dangers the piles pose, piles will continue to self-ignite and spew the same pollutants into the air that the regulations are trying to curtail, and communities will continue to be shadowed by the unsightly black mountains. All of this would be a tax-payer burden. EPCAMR has been a long-time partner of the Co-Generation Industry that has been reclaimed waste coal piles throughout PA for nearly 20 years. To review all of the work that they have completed and reclaimed, please read the following recently released Coal Refuse to Energy Summary.

Robert E. Hughes, EPCAMR Executive Director giving testimony in support of the Waste Coal Industry (ARIPPA) at the PA Senate Environmental Resource Committee Hearing in Jim Thorpe, PA.

To read, our EPCAMR Director’s Public Hearing Comments to the House SubCommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources-Committee on Natural Resources, read his Testimony, in support of the Waste Coal Industry.

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Now  in our fifth year, WPCAMR and EPCAMR have partnered with the Anthracite Region  Independent Power Producer’s Association (ARIPPA) to offer a competitive award  to watershed organizations working on Abandoned Mine Land (AML) and/or  Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) remediation projects.  Grants at a maximum of $2,500 will be awarded  to at least one eligible environmental organization, non-profit, or Conservation District in  the Anthracite Region and one eligible environmental organization or  Conservation District in the Bituminous Region in the Commonwealth of  Pennsylvania actively working on AML/AMD issues. Grant proposals should be for  on-the-ground AML/AMD construction projects with a completion date between  August 2013 and August 2015.  Proposals are due July 14th.  The amount granted is dependent upon  demonstrated need.  Applying  organizations must support the mission of ARIPPA, including the removal and  conversion of waste coal into alternative energy and the beneficial use of CFB  ash for AML/AMD reclamation.

In the past four years, the  ARIPPA Award has funded these projects approved by the Coalitions:

• Clearfield Creek Watershed Association (2010): $8,000 for Swank 13 AMD Passive Treatment
• Evergreen Conservancy (2010): $2,000 for Alternative Energy development at Tanoma Wetlands
• Earth Conservancy  (2010): $460 to replace informational signage on the Mocanaqua Loop Trail  developed on abandoned mine lands.
• Schuykill  Headwaters Association (2010): $4,770 to repair the Glendower Breech which will  return a stream back to its original channel avoiding contact with coal  sediment.
• Eastern Middle  Anthracite Region Recovery, Inc. (2010): $4,770 for construction of a raw water  intake on the Audenreid Treatment System to increase flow to the micro-hydro  turbines.
• Blackleggs Creek  Watershed Association (2011): $2,500 for the construction of a concrete pad for  a lime dosing silo in the Bear Run Treatment complex.
• Stream  Restoration Incorporated (2011): $2,500 for project costs associated with  removing waste coal refuse to be used in energy production and the construction  of an AMD treatment system.
• Schuylkill  Headwaters Association (2011): $3,000 for the Wagner Run Restoration project to  keep water in the stream channel, reducing the volume of the Pine Knot AMD  discharge.
• Huber Breaker  Preservation Society (2011): $1,000 for the Huber Memorial Park Pedestrian  Access Gate project to place a gate in a wrought iron fence surrounding the  property.  
• Eastern Middle  Anthracite Region Recovery, Inc (2011): $1,000 for the Audenreid Micro-Hydro  AMD Treatment System Raw Water Intake project to provide reliable flow to the  system.
• Sewickley Creek  Watershed Association (2012): $2,500 for Iron Sludge Recovery in the Marchand  AMD Treatment System.
• Chestnut Ridge  Chapter of Trout Unlimited (2012): $2,500 for lime dosing.
• Babb Creek  Watershed Association (2012): $1,000 offset cost of micro-hydroelectric  turbines that utilize 2 billion gal/day of the Antrim AMD to generate  electricity.
• Eastern Middle  Anthracite Region Recovery, Inc (2012): $1,000 for refurbishment of  hydroelectric components on the Audenried AMD Treatment System.
• Loyalsock Creek  Watershed Association (2012): $2,500 to purchase and apply limestone to  continue treatment of a large AMD seep at WALA Lake.
• Shamokin Creek  Restoration Alliance (2012): $500 to restore roadway, remove silt from pond 2,  block entrances, and install signs at Carbon Run Site 42 AMD Treatment System.
• Allegheny Valley  Land Trust (2013): for construction of a system to collect sediment from a  spoil pile along the Allegheny River
• Evergreen  Conservancy (2013): to purchase and install a new water turbine at Tanoma  Wetlands, a passive mine drainage treatment system at the headwaters of Crooked  Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River. Combined with a wind turbine and  solar panels installed previously, the system will be aerated 24/7.
• Luzerne  Conservation District (2013): removal of heavy sedimentation and woody debris  dams within the tributary and repair and restore severely eroded streambanks  and stormwater outlets flowing into the stream
• Mehoopany Creek  Watershed Association (2013): 50 Tons of limestone sand will be applied to the  South Branch of Mehoopany Creek to increase the pH levels in the stream to  improve the fishery habitat and water quality in the Mehoopany Creek watershed  historically impaired by acidity
• Plymouth  Historical Society (2013): cleanup of illegally dumped garbage at the historic  Avondale Mine Disaster Site where EPCAMR has completed several historic  preservation projects in the past, located in Plymouth Township, Luzerne  County, PA
• Lackawanna River  Corridor Association (2013): a real estate appraisal on the value of abandoned  mine lands that are being proposed to be acquired by their partner, the  Lackawanna Valley Conservancy, in an effort to secure the property to be used  for future AMD Treatment of the Old Forge AMD Borehole, Old Forge Borough,  Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties, PA

Celebrating its 25th  Anniversary, ARIPPA is a non-profit trade association based in Camp Hill  PA.  Membership is located in both the  Anthracite and Bituminous Regions of Pennsylvania and comprised of:

• Independent electric generating plants producing alternative energy and/or steam from coal refuse and
• Businesses associated with the coal refuse – to – alternative energy industry.

Accordingly, ARIPPA is organized to:

• advance the alternative energy electric power production industry,
• encourage education about the generation of alternative energy and related industries,
• promote the environmentally responsible production of electric power,
• promote the utilization of alternative energy electric power,
• endorse the continuity and growth of the alternative energy power production industry,
• assist in meeting this country’s energy, industrial, economic, and environmental needs.

Due  in part to ARIPPA member activities, unsightly  coal refuse piles and the problems associated with them are gradually  disappearing.  Thousands of acres of  land have been and continue to be reclaimed to a natural state or for  productive use and future development.   ARIPPA facilities remove and utilize coal refuse from both past and  current mining activities, thereby abating acid mine drainage from coal refuse  piles.  ARIPPA reports that 145 million  tons of coal refuse has been processed and converted into alternative energy by  their member plants from 1998 to 2008.   Further, the technology used to convert coal refuse to electricity, known  as Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) technology, produces alkaline-rich ash  by-products.  There are many beneficial  uses for CFB ash including; filling mine pits, as a replacement for lime (for  acid mine drainage remediation), for acid mine drainage remediation, as a soil  amendment at mining sites, and/or as  a concrete additive for roadways. 

The unique nature of ARIPPA’s work combined with the desire to coordinate efforts with environmentally  oriented groups and governmental agencies symbolize a commitment to improving the landscape and environment of  our nation.

You  can obtain the official Request for Proposals and supporting documents at WPCAMR’s website: www.wpcamr.org

You  can learn more about ARIPPA at: www.arippa.org EPCAMR and WPCAMR administer this successful grant program and help to develop coalitions and community groups seeking funding for reclamation and remediation projects on abandoned mine lands. 

The post Apply  Now!! ARIPPA AML/AMD Reclamation Mini-Grant Awards: $5K Available! EPCAMR/WPCAMR Receive $2500 Each To Award appeared first on epcamr.org.