{"id":5917,"date":"2017-06-07T12:10:09","date_gmt":"2017-06-07T16:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/epcamr.org\/home\/?p=5917"},"modified":"2017-06-07T12:11:09","modified_gmt":"2017-06-07T16:11:09","slug":"pa-mine-land-reclamation-leader-urges-congress-reauthorize-abandoned-mine-land-reclamation-fee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epcamr.org\/home\/2017\/pa-mine-land-reclamation-leader-urges-congress-reauthorize-abandoned-mine-land-reclamation-fee\/","title":{"rendered":"PA MINE LAND RECLAMATION LEADER URGES CONGRESS TO REAUTHORIZE ABANDONED MINE LAND RECLAMATION FEE"},"content":{"rendered":"

For immediate release: For more information contact:
\nJune 7, 2017 Jan Jarrett, jan_jarrett@msn.com
\n717-697-2111 office 717-503-1647<\/p>\n

Washington, DC (June 7, 2017) John Dawes, executive director of the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, testified today before the House Natural Resources Committee\u2019s Sub-Committee on Energy and Mineral Resources to urged Congress to reauthorize until 2036 the collection of a fee assessed on each ton of coal mined. This fee funds the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund which pays for continued cleanup of coal mining\u2019s legacy of scarred landscapes and polluted streams. Without Congressional reauthorization, the fee will expire in 2021.\u00a0Hundreds of workers would be needed to restore more than 180,000 acres of mine-scarred land and 5,500 miles of dead streams that still need to be reclaimed in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

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PA AML Statistics<\/p><\/div>\n

Pennsylvania has 180,000 acres of mine-scarred land and 5,500 miles of mine polluted streams, more than any other state in the nation. In his testimony, Dawes stated, \u201cReauthorization of the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund Fee (AMRF) is important to protect our communities and families from hazards posed by coal mines abandoned before 1977. The Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund is the primary source of money available to states and tribes to fix these problems. We have successfully used the fund to clean up toxic mine water, extinguish mine fires, and eliminate other dangerous abandoned mine hazards.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Newport Twp. AMD-filled Stripping Pit Flooded and discharging to Newport Creek.<\/p><\/div>\n

Dawes emphasized that abandoned mine land and water reclamation projects create jobs, and cited a project in Ehrenfeld, Cambria County as a prime example. \u201cThe Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection contracted with Rosebud Mining for reclamation services, he stated. \u201cUnder this 36-month contract of approximately $13.5M, Rosebud called back 40 furloughed miners.\u201d Dawes also highlighted the kinds of local jobs that support such projects including engineering and consulting services, general construction, concrete manufacturing, metal fabrication, hauling and disposal services, utility services, landscaping, concrete manufacturing and more.<\/p>\n

Dawes also presented recommendations for improvements to the fund that are supported by the Pennsylvania Abandoned Mine Lands Campaign including:<\/p>\n