First and foremost, EPCAMR wants to acknowledge all of the coalition partners, reclamation-related industries, Conservation Districts, Trout Unlimited Chapters, watershed associations, and coalfield community groups that have been stepping up and standing up for their communities these last few months on the importance of the Reauthorization of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). The need is justified and the funding allocations are necessary to continue to reclaim our abandoned mine lands and to treat the AMD water pollution sources to help restore our watersheds.  We are sure that most of you are aware that a small fee is collected from the coal industries that remain on every ton of coal mined, both surface and underground, that gets set aside into the Federal Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund. Those funds are vital to the remaining States like PA, and many others throughout Appalachia for reclamation and remediation of our past mining abandoned mine lands and polluted waterways.  Those funds get distributed to the abandoned mine land (AML) States in the form of yearly grants to help reclaim AML and treat polluted abandoned mine drainage (AMD) to help restore our watersheds.

Today’s tour with James Bruggers, a  reporter from the Southeast, National Environment Reporting Network, from Louisville, KY, covering a story for Inside Climate News, was hosted by the PA Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (PA DEP BAMR). EPCAMR attended as well to provide valuable local insight into several of the sites with expertise and commentary provided by Bobby Hughes, EPCAMR Executive Director since two of the three sites are abandoned mine land areas and an AMD site that we have been heavily involved with, along with many other local community partners. These types of projects could not happen without the support of the State and Federal Agencies such as the PA DEP BAMR and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) and the funding that is provided to reclaim these areas. Private landowner’s permission and approval are also integral to the success of each and every project. James’ full story will appear in a few weeks.

EPCAMR wanted to provide our view of the importance of today’s tour with him that we hope will get us some National media attention on the importance of Reauthorization sooner, rather than later, as the Infrastructure Bill ((HR 3684) is where a lot of the details are located related to SMCRA Reauthorization and funding for abandoned mine land reclamation and AMD remediation. Hopefully, his story will highlight the jobs that can be created in the Appalachian Coalfields for reclamation, the continued removal of the waste culm piles by our partnering Co-Generation Plants, like Panther Creek Partners, who are a part of the ARIPPA Trade Association and have been a partner of EPCAMR’s since the mid-90s.

The EPCAMR Executive Director discussed the possibilities of future AMD Treatment Plants around the Commonwealth that could create long-term jobs and investments in the coalfield communities that are still living with these large volume, acid-laden, mine waters that should be seen as public infrastructure projects with the added benefit of providing clean water and other recreational and industrial use-value to those who live along them and would ultimately benefit from the restoration of those impaired waters. EPCAMR and PA DEP BAMR both reference the SRBC’s Anthracite Region Mine Drainage Remediation Strategy on the Tour that discusses the potential for combining certain discharges to treat them more effectively.

The 3 Sites visited were:

• Swoyersville Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) Coal Refuse Reclamation and Community Athletic Area Project in Swoyersville Borough, Luzerne County
• Old Forge AMD Borehole discharge in the Lower Lackawanna River Watershed, just above the Connell Street Bridge in Old Forge Borough, Lackawanna County
• Sterry Creek South-Dolph Mine Fire Abandoned Mine Reclamation Project, Olyphant Borough, Lackawanna County

Photo 1. Equipment hauling and removing waste culm, fines, and silts that are several feet in depth from the former Harry E. Colliery abandoned mine land site at the beginning of the project near the Church Street tree line where Roosevelt Park is located just across the street from the Phase I Reclamation for the Community Athletic Area for Swoyersville Borough.

Photo 2. The former Harry E. Colliery Culm banks tower over the community of Swoyersville Borough where the residential homes surround the 55 acre abandoned mine lands in the Abraham Creek watershed on 3 sides. This 45 acre area is denoted as a Phase II site for future reclamation purposes and is not a part of the Phase I reclamation, due to the extensive reclamation costs needed and sheer amount of material that needs to be hauled, graded, and leveled for erosion and sedimentation control.

Photo 3. The Old Forge AMD Borehole as it discharges from the early 1960s concrete culvert diversion chamber that is several hundred feet downstream from the actual 42″ diameter borehole that is located along the Lackawanna River. Iron hydroxide staining is evident during typical lower flow conditions on the riverbed for the lower 3 miles of the Lackawanna River until it’s confluence with the North Branch Susquehanna River. The Connell Street Bridge in Old Forge can be seen from above.

Photo 4. Looking downstream on the Lackawanna River where the iron hydroxide staining is quite evident along the entire length of the river’s right bank. As the increased flows in the river drop from the recent storm events and remnants of Hurricane Ida and others, the muddied waters will turn back to orange and can be seen from Google Earth for the entire length of the lower 3 miles.

Photo 5. From left to right: Todd Wood-PA DEP BAMR NE Office, Bobby Hughes-EPCAMR Executive Director, Brian Bradley-PA DEP BAMR Harrisburg Office, and James Bruggers-Reporter for Inside Climate News, view the downstream impacts on the Lower Lackawanna River as Bobby discusses the impacts from past mining to the St. John’s Creek tributary that losing much of its water to the underground mine pool in the Scranton-Metro Mine Pool Complex.

Photo 6. A panoramic shot looking south taken by the EPCAMR Executive Director, Bobby Hughes, of the cutoff trench that was excavated to the base of the Dunmore No. 3 seam to isolate the mine fire and act as a barrier along the south, west, and north perimeters of the active fire zone and opposite high wall where the Dunmore No. 3 and Dunmore No. 2 (30-40′ below the No. 3) Anthracite veins were mined extensively.

Photo 7. Looking south across the cutoff trench that was excavated at the Dunmore No. 2 Anthracite vein in an anticline formation within the rock with the overburden seen from above in the tree line. You can notice the active venting of the mine gases in the left center of the photo seen as on this rainy day as smoke rising 10-14′ above the active fire zone.

Photo 8. James Bruggers, Reporter, Inside Climate News, captures some iPhone video footage of the venting gases coming from one of the many temperature monitoring boreholes within the active fire zone that is currently being reclaimed and extinguished.

Photo 9. Looking southwest along the isolation trench and vertical high wall opposite the trench where a few of the coal veins can be seen (Dunmore No. 2 and No. 3) and a little split or rider was noticed closer to the surface. Throop is down over the Valley horizon as well as the US Route 6 Highway.

Photo 10. Pinkish red ash from rock, waste culm, and coal that had previously been burned in the fire was excavated and placed along the cuts to create the roads to get around the mine fire site. It looks similar to what you would find in the ash content that you would find in your home if Anthracite coal had been used as a home heating fuel source for a furnace.

Photo 11. Pond 2 was constructed to hold the water supply that is necessary to extinguish the fire.

Photo 12. Looking down into the abyss and darkness of one of the temperature monitoring boreholes within the active fire zone.

Photo 13. Retired Mining Engineer, John Mack, formerly with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office that used to be located in Wilkes-Barre, PA gives James Brugger, Reporter, Inside Climate News, a historical overview of the project’s beginnings and initial funding sources, as well as the importance of the project due to the proximity of the Jefferson Township Sewer Authority’s infrastructure lines. Larry Dobash (white hat), Brian Bradley, and Tom Ludka-all from PA DEP Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (PA DEP BAMR), and Bobby Hughes-(orange jacket) listen in on the conversation.

Photo 14. The temperature monitoring borehole capped at the surface within the Dolph Mine Fire zone.

Now that we’ve been able to provide you somewhat of a virtual tour for the day and some of the sites in Northeastern PA’s Anthracite Coal Region, there is a much greater sense of urgency in our work. The fee collection authority for the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) expires IN 2 DAYS (September 30th, 2021).  While there is language to renew the fee collection for several more years in the Infrastructure Bill that was passed by the Senate and is being considered by the House, all of us in the reclamation community are unsure as to whether the House of Representatives will pass that Bill.

If the Infrastructure Bill, which contains the SMCRA Reauthorization language, does not pass, then Congress has two options.  The first option is to let SMCRA fee collection sunset, or expire, which will put many State AML Programs and future reclamation and AMD remediation projects and treatment systems in serious jeopardy.  The second option is to provide a short-term extension to SMCRA fee collection until such time that Congress can agree on the details surrounding the Reauthorization.

Should it come to an extension, we hope that the House members will vote for that. Individuals who live in our coalfield communities that want to continue to see our land and waterways improved need to continue to have ongoing communications with their respective US State Representatives and Senators regarding the importance of the SMCRA Reauthorization. NOW, more than ever, as the days close in on the sunset date for the fee collection, communications with your local political leaders in the legislature will take on an even more important role.

Please contact your US Representatives, Senator Toomey, and Senator Casey, if you are a PA resident, and let them know of the importance of Reauthorization and Abandoned Mine Reclamation in Pennsylvania and that if it should come to the question of an extension, we hope the House of Representatives will vote for that.

For more information and videos related to the Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund and Reauthorization, see the PA AML Campaign page, WPCAMR’s and EPCAMR’s YouTube video channels that are relatively new, where some videos can be found of interviews that we’ve had around the State with our partners to emphasize the importance of the work that we do and that all of our partners are doing to reclaim our abandoned mine lands and to clean up and restore our polluted waterways by creating jobs and economic development opportunities on these formerly abandoned mine lands once they are reclaimed and alternative energy uses continue to be developed for both the land, underground mine pool water, and the AMD.

If you are interested in learning more, join us for our 2021 PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Virtual Conference that will be from October 27-29th.

The post PA DEP Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation and EPCAMR Highlight Legacy Abandoned Mine Lands & AMD with Inside Climate News Reporter appeared first on epcamr.org.

Director, Joe Sapienza II. Credit: Curtis Donar

Over a four-year period, they successfully completed a documentary that will tell Centralia’s fate through the perspective of Centralia’s former and current residents, the government’s own actions, and local news archives. Joe screened a private rough cut of the documentary twice in the fall of 2016 to former cast, crew, and residents of Centralia and Byrnesville. It received positive reviews with only minor cuts that will be removed from the film and with the addition of an extended introduction including author David DeKok and former resident Tom Dempsey before the opening credits roll.

Producer, Allyson Kircher

The documentary will go through the final stages of post-production with Melina Smith, one of the camera operators on the film and colorist at Company 3 in New York. She will color the entire feature giving the film its final beauty. Corey Branigan who works for a production company that specializes in motion graphics – Konrad & Paul in New York – will apply motion effects to the vintage photos, the animations of the mines and tunnels that run beneath Centralia, and the street sign markers that tell the viewer exactly where a scene was shot.

Colorist, Melina Smith

Motion graphics, Corey Branigan

Dominic Zappalla, a commercial freelance audio engineer in Philadelphia, will mix the entire feature with a music score and sound effects that were left out and not heard at the screenings. The music is essential and will add a complement to the narrative, correlating with the drama that unfolds during each scene. The music tracks were scored by John Avarese, a feature film composer and audio professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Audio mixer, Dominic Zappalla. Credit: Dan Leung

The opening title segment features a rare acoustic version of, “Ain’t It The Life?” by singer songwriter Erik Peterson of Mischief Brew. Erik and his wife Denise hold a special place in their hearts for Centralia and reached out to Joe last spring. Joe asked Erik to record an acoustic version of “Ain’t It The Life?” and loved it so much that he put it in the opening track of the film. Sadly, Erik Peterson passed away in July of 2016 and Joe has dedicated the film in his honor along with another close friend who introduced him to Centralia back in 2005, Sue “Suzie Q” Berkheimer, a resident of New Columbia, Pennsylvania.

After the film’s release in May, it will be screened at local theaters throughout Pennsylvania including Pottsville, Tamaqua, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Williamsport, Blue Bell, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia, among others. Check local theater listings for release dates in Pennsylvania. The documentary will also be submitted to over a thousand film festivals worldwide through 2017 and 2018. In addition, Joe is considering distributors such as Amazon Video Direct and Netflix in 2018 for final distribution release.

The post Official Trailer: CENTRALIA, Pennsylvania’s Lost Town appeared first on epcamr.org.

Robert Hughes-EPCAMR Executive Director and Andy McAllister-WPCAMR Regional Coordinator accept the $5000 check from ARIPPA

ARIPPA awarded $5,000 in August at their Annual Awards Luncheon and $45,000 in the past to watershed organizations performing Abandoned Mine Land (AML) and/or Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) remediation improvements that are partners of EPCAMR and WPCAMR. Award recipients have included: Allegheny Valley Land Trust, Altman Run-Watershed, Babb Creek Watershed, Blackleggs Creek Watershed, Chestnut Ridge Chapter Trout Unlimited, Clearfield Creek Watershed, Earth Conservancy, Eastern Middle Anthracite Region Recovery, Evergreen Conservancy, Huber Breaker Preservation Society, Lackawanna River Corridor Association, Loyalsock Creek Watershed, Luzerne Conservation District, Mehoopany Creek Watershed Association, Plymouth Historical Society, Schuylkill Headwaters Association, Sewickley Creek Watershed, and the Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance.

Awards are granted under the guidance and administration of Eastern and Western Pennsylvania Coalitions for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR and WPCAMR respectively). EPCAMR and WPCAMR are the two leading, regional environmental non-profit associations organized to encourage the reclamation, remediation, and redevelopment of lands and streams impacted by past mining practices. “EPCAMR and WPCAMR oversee the solicitation of proposals each year, review them, recommend them for awards, and then provide the selected award winners with checks following the ARIPPA Annual Awards Luncheon in August. Each year we publicize the request for applications a few times a year and usually look forward to at least 4-6 applications knowing that we only $2500 per Coalition to distribute. It’s a very simple application process. I’m surprised there aren’t more applications, honestly. Hopefully in 2015, we’ll get more. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. That hasn’t stopped us from redistributing the donation from ARIPPA at all. 100% of the funding goes out each and every year and we are proud of the projects that we can support on the ground in partnership with ARIPPA,” stated Robert E. Hughes, EPCAMR Executive Director. ARIPPA is also represented on the EPCAMR Board of Directors as an Industry Trade Association representative.

The 3 EPCAMR Award Winning Projects for 2014 are as follows:

$ 1300 will go to the Babb Creek Watershed Association (BCWA) for the cost of 1 of the 2 replacement stainless steel runners that are needed for the Antrim AMD MicroHydroPower Treatment Plant.

Corroded Runner at the Antrim MicroHydro Turbine AMD Treatment Plant

New Runner at the Antrim MicroHydro Turbine AMD Treatment Plant

$ 700 will be administered by EPCAMR on behalf of a group of volunteers led by Joe Sapienza Jr., Director of a recent short documentary on Centralia, who sought EPCAMR’s technical assistance to coordinate a large illegal dumpsite cleanup effort, called Cleanup Centralia! on October 25^th, 2014 this Fall to fund the hauling of waste and debris from three locations in and around Centralia, Byrnesville, and along Big Mine Run Road. Cleanup supplies, shovels, rakes, grass seed, wildflower mix, and NO DUMPING signs will also be picked up and housed with EPCAMR.

Illegal Dump Pile in Centralia near the Odd Fellows Cemetery that will be one of the sites cleaned up on October 25th

$  500 will go to the Mehoopany Creek Watershed Association (MCWA) for the purchase of 17 Tons of limestone sand to treat the acidic conditions of the South Branch Mehoopany Creek that will be placed in the Spring of 2015 ahead of the melt of from the Winter.

Rock Vein Construction on Mehoopany Creek

Confluence of the S. Branch and N. Branch of the Mehoopany Creek that will benefit from the limestone sand dosing

Watershed protection and abandoned mine land reclamation are two of the fastest growing areas of community-based collaboration in the Commonwealth of PA. Throughout the country, watershed groups are playing an increasingly prominent role in environmental management. Remediation projects are costly and long-term endeavors with costs averaging between $10-20,000 per acre, according to the Pennsylvania Mining Reclamation Advisory Board. The ARIPPA Reclamation Awards partnership with EPCAMR/WPCAMR are designed to help watershed groups and community groups continue their volunteer efforts toward improving our environment.

Organized in 1988, ARIPPA is a non-profit trade association representing alternative energy plants that remove coal refuse from AML areas, convert it into alternative energy, and beneficially utilize the ash by-product to reclaim thousands of acres of mine-scarred lands and hundreds of miles of formerly dead streams back to their natural state; without any expenditure of tax dollars. To date over 212 million tons of coal refuse has been converted into alternative energy by member plants. Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) technology (one of the cleanest methods available today) is used to convert coal refuse into electricity and an alkaline-rich ash by-products utilized for decades in a highly regulated, safe, and beneficial manner to: fill and reclaim unsafe, abandoned mine lands; to remediate streams damaged by acid mine drainage; amend soil at mining sites, and serve as an additive in concrete/asphalt for construction and roadways.

The unique nature of ARIPPA’s environmental efforts combined with the desire to coordinate these efforts with “hands-on” environmentally oriented groups and governmental agencies symbolizes its commitment to improving our nation’s landscape and environment.

The post EPCAMR Awards 3 Mini-Grants to Regional Projects through Donated Funds from ARIPPA totaling $2500 appeared first on epcamr.org.

Robert showing the EPCAMR Staff, Interns, and Film Crew of the many piles around town.

On Tuesday, July 15th, EPCAMR headed out to Centralia to assess the amount of trash and illegal dumping sites in the area for a possible Fall Cleanup around the now-barren town. With volunteers, interns, and one of our partners–  The Pennsylvania Environmental Council, NE Office (PEC) in tow,  the group met up with the Director of  “Centralia: America’s Lost Town” , Joe Sapienza II, recent graduate, and some of his film crew members from Drexel University, for a tour and to get a site assessment of the area– the first step in cleaning up Centralia!

Old Route 61

Our first stop to survey for trash was where the original fire in Centralia started near the Odd Fellows Cemetery. At this location, we found a few old mattresses and a large illegal dump and burn site with piles of litter, as well as, the start of many illegally-dumped auto tires.  Towards the other end of town, off Meyers Street, the crew walked down an abandoned road or  rail line which was once headed towards Mt. Carmel, to find more illegal dumping going on. The abandoned area was strewn with several wood piles, garbage bags full of household items, many more tires, furniture, and even the front bumper of a JEEP. The crew then parked in an empty lot where the famous Coddington’s Gas Station once stood (one of the main areas for tourists to park their cars in Centralia) and walked down along an abandoned road surrounded by culm  banks. Here, we found even more piles of trash scattered throughout the landscape.

The July 15th  site assessment showed that there is a strong need for a future cleanup in Centralia. EPCAMR has gotten approval of the State to move along with the cleanup  project. We are confident that we can accomplish this effort as we have completed hundreds of cleanups for nearly the last two decades and are already making contacts to put the wheels in motion.  During the site assessment, the group ran into at least 12 other tourists in the area. EPCAMR Executive Director, Robert Hughes, had a conversation with a few of the individuals about Centralia and the Fall Cleanup EPCAMR was planning on doing. Several of the tourists were happy to hear about the initiative and were willing to help as future volunteers with EPCAMR. Many folks were also interested in a possible future historical interpretive project EPCAMR was also considering for Centralia. We would love to see small wooden plaques with historical information around Centralia for tourists to read about the town and what happened in 1962 that left it abandoned. A handful of people EPCAMR spoke with were also excited about the idea of adding  picnic tables or benches in Centralia for the tourists that visit this historic site. We hope people interested in Centralia and working with EPCAMR will join us as future volunteers for a Fall Cleanup in Centralia set for October 25th from 9am-4pm with a 10am start and a 9am volunteer registration!

EPCAMR Staff and Joe Sapienza II will be coordinating a Fall 2014 Community Cleanup at the location of PA’s most historic mine fire in the Town of Centralia, PA on Saturday, October 25th. Recent film graduate students Joe Sapienza (Director) and friends from Drexel University, have been working with us to coordinate a cleanup in the Town that is pretty barren right now and isolated from the world, except for a handful (3 families) of residents that remain. We’ll be registering volunteers at 9am near the former Coddington Gas Station, just down the street from the St. Ignatius Cemetery.

We are looking for dozens of volunteers for the cleanup that will help EPCAMR to set the wheels in motion for a possible future historical interpretive project that we’re considering for the Town, if we can get the State behind us. Hear stories from the EPCAMR Executive Director on his internship days with the PA DEP some 20 years ago, as he monitored around the Town for mine gases in one of the Churches and along the coal banks that were on fire in the Buck Mountain Vein. Get a chance to meet the Director of the short film on Centralia that has been just recently released. Hear more on a full length documentary on Centralia that Joe is beginning to work on too.

An IndieGoGo fundraising effort is going to go live to assist us with funds for supplies, refreshments for the volunteers, water, tools, and to assist with paying for dumpsters and some wildflower seeds for the areas that we will be cleaning up. IF YOU DONATE, there are SWAG gifts in return, so please check out the link. EPCAMR is committing $700 towards the effort up front, plus Staff and other resources. http://vimeo.com/104065441

We have permission from one of the property owners (Pagnotti Enterprises) to place a dumpster on their property near the Odd Fellows Cemetery at the one cleanup location and we are actively working on securing permission from Blaschok Coal Company to place a dumpster in another area that can be seen in our Vimeo Cleanup Centralia Project video.

Follow the link on Facebook to join the effort as an EPCAMR Volunteer! https://www.facebook.com/events/628137517302486/?ref=22&source=1

The post Clean Up Centralia: EPCAMR Assesses Trash Problem in America’s Lost Town for October 25th 2014 Cleanup appeared first on epcamr.org.