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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The Avondale Pit pre-reclamation (Edward Pikulski)

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