Legislators seek funding to reclaim abandoned mine lands

SWOYERSVILLE — Standing before a huge culm bank at the Harry E. Colliery, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright on Thursday said Congress must reauthorize the Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund, which allows states to collect small fees from active coal mine operators in order to pay for abandoned mine reclamation.

Cartwright has offered H.R. 4248 that would reauthorize the trust fund for 15 years. Cartwright said the fund is due to expire in September 2021, but it is estimated that the cost to reclaim the remaining high priority abandoned mines across the country will exceed $10 billion.

In Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, which Cartwright represents, there are more than 300 unreclaimed mine sites and it is expected to cost more $114 million to reclaim the land.

“Reclaiming these sites will create economic opportunities for coal country,” Cartwright, D-Moosic, said. “I have seen first-hand the risks that abandoned mines pose to our community health, our safety, and our economy. We can’t afford for efforts to clean up these dangerous sites to stall.”

Cartwright went on to say that the bipartisan bill, supported by U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, will not only protect the people living near abandoned mines in Northeastern Pennsylvania and across the country, it will also help turn the lands into economic opportunities that lead to new jobs and growth.

Last week, the House Committee on Natural Resources approved the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act Amendments of 2019, legislation authored by Cartwright to ensure the cleanup of dangerous abandoned mine sites across the U.S. can continue. The committee’s vote clears the way for the legislation to be considered on the House floor.

Joining Cartwright and Meuser at Thursday event were state Sen. John Yudichak, I-Swoyersville; Swoyersville Mayor Christopher Concert, Bobby Hughes, executive director of Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation; and Sean Lane, vice president/governmental affairs of Olympus Power, LLC.

Cartwright said ensuring the AML trust fund remains active will help states continue to protect their communities from the health, safety and environmental risks posed by abandoned mines, including cleaning up toxic acid mine drainage, closing open shafts, and disposing of unattended explosives.

HR-4248 would also:

• Expand funding for states that have not been certified for reclaiming high-priority coal AML areas.

• Provide for the delegation of emergency AML programs to states.

• Reimburse states for AML fees that were sequestered since Fiscal Year 2013.

The Harry E. culm banks in Swoyersville, is an AML site where cleanup efforts are underway.

“This legislation can really be a game-changer for our communities,” Meuser said. “This is about doing something better for our children, our grandchildren and all future generations.”

Meuser said coal is among the most important natural resources in Northeast Pennsylvania, but abandoned mines and coal refuse piles are a hazard to our public health and safety.

“Our efforts to incentivize coal refuse remediation and clean up abandoned mines will make our communities safer, stimulate economic development, and create a significant difference in the quality of life for many Pennsylvanians,” Meuser said.

Yudichak said some 1.4 million Pennsylvanians live within one mile of abandoned mine lands.

“Including me — I live right here in Swoyersville and I grew up in Plymouth Township — both have many abandoned mines,” Yudichak said. “This issue is one for Democrats, Republicans and independents to come together and reclaim these sites.”

Yudichak said Luzerne County alone has some 100 sites similar to the one at the Harry E. culm bank in Swoyersville.

Hughes said his organization — Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation — is a regional, environmental nonprofit, whose mission is to encourage the reclamation and redevelopment of land and remediation of mine water affected by past mining practices.

”Our coal regions are scattered with health and safety hazards, environmental degradation, polluted mine water, and poverty-stricken environmental justice communities,” Hughes said. “I’ve lived in the center of the northern coalfields my entire life among the shadows of hundreds of abandoned mine features and have become really sick and tired of continuing to have to look at them 25 years into my career. I have three children and a grandchild growing up there who deserve better. Frankly, it’s disheartening and we can do better.”

Hughes said significant damage includes reddish orange streams, water-filled pits, and mine fires. He said the projected costs of reclamation, abatement, and remediation are substantial.

”All of our coal impacted communities across the country are in need of more diversified economic, social, environmental, and recreational opportunities and funding,” Hughes said.