Abandoned Mine Posts

10th Annual Ohio River Watershed Celebration

Guest Author, Ryan Falcone, Southern Pennsylvania Commission

On Thursday,  September 22, 2011, learn what is happening in your watershed.   Network with watershed Organizations,  private businesses and industry, government agencies, municipalities,  educators, students and interested citizens that are creating the future today!  Take advantage of the opportunity to attend a cruise along Pittsburgh’s three  rivers for the 10th annual Ohio River Watershed Celebration (ORWC) hosted by  the Gateway Clipper Fleet.  The event is  free and open to the public thanks to donations from many different sponsoring  organizations.

The ORWC  began in 2002 with 250 persons attending and has grown to over 700 participants  (in 2010) on board the Gateway Clipper Fleet’s Majestic and Empress.  The 2011 theme is “Our Rivers…Then and Now,”  which will focus on how the three rivers that course through our region have  shaped the people and events that have influenced this country.  Significant milestones in our history can be  traced back as the rivers changed from free flowing and wild to navigable,  industrial corridors.  And now, these  once primarily utilitarian resources are being transformed into the life-blood  of a new and more diverse and sustainable watershed.  This cruise brings tributaries of commerce  and industry, history and tourism, environmental stewardship, and recreation  together to form a pathway to a vibrant future.   A pathway where industrial and environmental concerns work together to  foster mutual sustainability and where recreational and tourism advocates have  open water to pursue new and evolving ways of adding value to this regions  greatest asset….its watershed.

Click here to  register for the event.

Click here to  see the short film made about the event.

The Steeler Nation and the Watershed Movement

By Anne Daymut, Watershed Coordinator

Don’t let a  lack of available grant funds discourage you from environmental projects, Wells  Creek Watershed Association sure hasn’t.   For the last five years, they have found a way to profit from football  fans.  How’s that you say?  They raise over $2,500/year selling BBQ  chicken on Superbowl Sunday!  The  proceeds are used to stock trout in Wells Creek. 

 Click Here to  watch the video.

Well’s Creek Watershed Association is holding a work day  on Saturday September 24, 2011, starting at 8:00am. They will be meeting in the parking lot across from Fitzie’s Pub in Listie, PA and then will carpool to their three AMD treatment systems to do general maintenance. A meeting and picnic lunch, furnished by Bob Bastian, will follow the work party. Everyone is welcome.

By Anne Daymut, Watershed Coordinator

Michael Krancer, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP), recently made time in his busy schedule to spend a day touring abandoned mine sites and restoration projects throughout Washington and Allegheny Counties. WPCAMR staff lead an engaging and informative tour that highlighted the major challenges that the AMD/AML restoration and reclamation community currently faces.

Secretary Krancer was able to immerse himself into our community, witness a few of the many AMD/AML success stories, and provide valuable feedback to the issues that were presented to him.

Three main topics dominated the discussions at tour stops:

• Building mutually-beneficial partnerships between the watershed community and the energy industry
• Protection of Pennsylvania’s investment in water quality improvement
• Funding needs for further water quality improvements.

The intricacies of each topic were described by a varied group of watershed volunteers, DEP staff, professional engineers, landowners, energy representatives, and multiple partnering organizations and agencies.

Watershed groups know that successful projects require partnerships in many forms; diversified funding, technical knowledge, and connections to name a few. The best partnerships are those that satisfy multiple needs.

The tour highlighted a star project when it comes to partnerships: the North Fork Montour Run AMD Treatment System. Here, PA DEP funded the treatment system through the Montour Run Watershed Association who partnered with the Pittsburgh International Airport and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, and others. Secretary Krancer, being an aviation enthusiast, was impressed by what the diverse partners were able to accomplish in proximity to the Pittsburgh airport.

The tour also stressed the value of working with the energy industry as a partner in watershed restoration. They bring connections, expertise, and financial incentives to the table while providing jobs, supplying our energy demands, and aiding the economy. There are several challenges facing mutually-beneficial partnerships with the Energy Industry that the tour brought to light including; solving wetlands permitting and banking challenges; supporting the beneficial use of coal ash; encouraging remining and coal waste piles as alternative energy, GFCC permitting cost issues; and promoting the use of AMD as frac water.

Pennsylvania has, by far, invested more money and resources than any other Appalachian State into AMD/AML remediation and reclamation. Amazingly, Pennsylvania now has close to 300 AMD passive treatment systems constructed, operated, and maintained by Good Samaritans including watershed organizations, private landowners, state agencies, and Conservation Districts. This effort has lead to nearly 65 miles of stream removed from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Impaired Waters List for abandoned mining related pollutants. Improvements have been made in over 30 watersheds. Keeping these successes in mind, we continued to express our concerns to the Secretary about the possible negative effects that the Keely Decision and EPA’s proposed conductivity benchmark would have on our community.

We also stressed to the Secretary that, while the construction of all these treatment systems has been a major “shot in the arm” for western Pennsylvania’s environment, the follow-up care of these systems is equally as important. The Operation, Maintenance, and Replacement of these valuable treatment systems plays a vital role in maintaining our healthy waters. Without attention and a dedicated effort to secure funding for O,M&R of existing systems, much of the improvement made could be lost.

In spite of the difficult economic times, the watershed community remains confident that funding for future AMD treatment will continue in some form. Secretary Krancer heard from several participants about how the Growing Greener Grant program has been vital to the creation of these treatment systems and subsequently, in the improvement of our streams. Growing Greener has also been largely responsible for the funding for the Conservation District Watershed Specialist Program–an indispensible link between the environmental community and State agencies.

In addition to Secretary Krancer and his staff, WPCAMR would like to specifically thank and acknowledge everyone involved in the tour.

o Presto-Sygan Abandoned Mine Discharge: Margaret Dunn, Cliff Denholm, Shaun Busler, Buck Neely, and Laurie Popeck, Stream Restoration Incorporated

o Gladden Discharge: Rich Beam and Eric Cavazza, PA DEP BAMR; Amy Smith, South Fayette Conservation Group; Tom Gray, TetraTech o Champion Waste Coal Pile: Raymond Bologna, Ray Bologna, and Tony Bologna, Landowners; Vicky Michaels, Raccoon Creek Watershed Association; Gary Stokum and Jennifer Halachak, Washington County Conservation District

o North Fork Montour Run AMD Treatment System: Kevin Gurchak, Pittsburgh International Airport; Mark Fedosick, Montour Run Watershed Association; Mike Houser, Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission; Stream Restoration Inc Staff; Amy Meyers, Allegheny County Conservation District, Ron Horansky, PA DEP

o McCaslin Road AMD Treatment System: Mark Fedosick, Montour Run Watershed Association; Chris Caruso, Findlay Township Public Works; Stream Restoration Inc Staff; Amy Meyers, Allegheny County Conservation District, Ron Horansky, PA DEP

2011 ARIPPA Award Deadline Approaching

By Andy McAllister, Regional Coordinator

Just a reminder that the 2011 ARIPPA award applications are due by June 30th. WPCAMR has once again partnered with the Anthracite Region Independent Power Producer’s Association (ARIPPA) to commemorate their 21st Anniversary by offering 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 $5,000, 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. Grant proposals should be for on-the-ground AML/AMD construction projects with a completion date between August 2010 and August 2012.  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.

We encourage watershed groups and conservation districts in the bituminous region to submit an application to take advantage of this valuable award program.

For more information and the official Request for Proposals and supporting documents, visit WPCAMR’s website at: http://www.wpcamr.org/

You can learn more about ARIPPA at: http://www.arippa.org/

 2011 ARIPPA Award

ABANDONED MIN RELICS FOR RECREATION 

by Anne Daymut

Environmentally unsound, unregulated coal mining practices of the past have left our region with a legacy of polluted waters, scarred landscapes, and health and safety hazards.   The decrease in productive, valuable land has, in turn, impacted our regional economy.  However, the region’s inherent, wild beauty offers many recreational opportunities.  Rail-Trail organizations have indentified this potential and have been remarkably successful in converting Abandoned Mine Lands, including rail lines into recreational havens. 

One particular organization, the Allegheny Valley Land Trust, has converted over 90 miles of rail line into trails.  Recently, they purchased 269 acres of abandoned mine lands, that contains 48 miles of rail-trail and multiple mining relics which are historically significant treasures.  Among the relics are a tunnel built in 1915, a rail car turn table, rail line bridges, and Coke ovens used in the 1800’s.

If you can not view this on your work computer, check with your IT person to see if embedded videos are blocked.

Budget and Legislative Roundup

By Andy McAllister, Regional Coordinator

As federal and state government continue to refine their budgets, members of our environmental community are concerned about how proposed budget cuts could affect abandoned mine reclamation efforts.

First, let’s start with the Federal budget. The Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 proposed budget was released by the President on February 14th. That proposed budget contains some items of interest to the Abandoned Mine Reclamation (AMR) community.

The proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) FY2012 budget ($1.3 Billion less than FY2010) aims to cut approximately 18% out of the Section 319 program, a program that has brought numerous successes to the AMR community in Pennsylvania and throughout the Appalachian coalfields. With Pennsylvania’s Growing Greener funds shrinking, Section 319 funding may take on even more importance as a way to continue crucial AMR projects and programs in this state. In other states of the eastern coalfields, Section 319 funding remains a major source of project funding. Given that the budget talks are likely to continue and numbers are likely to shift around, we will keep a close eye on this proposed reduction as the federal budget scenario continues to unfold.

Meanwhile, at the Department of the Interior, while the proposed budget for the federal Office of Surface Mining Regulation and Enforcement (OSMRE) cuts a portion of their funding but preserves the successful Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program, the OSMRE may have to change some of its procedures

One item in particular, stands out in the OSMRE budget. The proposed FY 2012 OSMRE budget calls for a change in the way the States handle their prioritization of projects to be funded through Title IV of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). Although the receiving states were already mandated by the re-authorized SMCRA to prioritize their Title IV eligible projects on their own, it appears that the federal government itself is interested in prioritizing funding to the most hazardous sites. OSMRE proposes to establish an advisory council to review and rank reclamation projects proposed by the State and then recommend the distribution of funds to the highest priority sites.

According to a February 14th news release from OSMRE, ” The budget proposes to reform mandatory spending on abandoned mine reclamation to create a competitive grant program that would address the Nation’s highest priority abandoned coal mine sites, and mitigate the most critical public health and environmental hazards”. How this proposed competitive grant program would impact the way Pennsylvania prioritizes its projects and how it uses its Title IV funding remains unclear at this time.

Additionally, the proposed OSMRE budget also proposes to terminate unrestricted mandatory payments to States and Tribes that have finished restoring their abandoned coal mines. As it stands now, states that have restored their abandoned coal mines (ie. “Certified States” such as Wyoming), continue to receive unrestricted payments from Title IV. In all likelihood, the states that have finished restoring their abandoned coal mines will fight this proposed change. Also, the 2012 budget eliminates discretionary grants to States for Abandoned Mine Land emergencies.

Of course, none of these budget changes are set in stone and it’s likely that some of these initial numbers and proposed cuts may change. In the meantime, the Federal government is operating on a continuing resolution which is slated to end on Friday, March 18th. In spite of the current continuing resolution’s imminent expiration, it appears that the federal budget talks will continue for a while longer as the House Appropriations Committee recently introduced a continuing resolution to fund the federal government at current rates until April 8.

Closer to home, the release of the Governor’s proposed state budget last week showed cuts in environmental programs and we will likely see less Growing Greener funding available for watershed grants this year as compared to last fiscal year. Growing Greener has been the funding source for the Watershed Specialist positions as well as watershed project grants.

On a legislative note here in Pennsylvania, there is an effort to address Pennsylvania’s prevailing wage law. State Senator Michael Brubaker (R-Lancaster) introduced legislation on March 8th that would place a moratorium on prevailing wage requirements for municipal and school construction projects to reduce costs to taxpayers. Senate Bill 792 (not yet online) would reduce costs by placing a three-year moratorium on prevailing wage requirements. This legislation presumably may be able to address other publicly funded construction projects such as AMD treatment systems.

WPCAMR will continue to monitor the ever-changing events surrounding the federal and state budget and will keep you informed in the near future, of changes as they relate to the AMR community.

One-of-a-Kind Conference

by Anne Daymut, Watershed Coordinator

Stakeholders from throughout Appalachia will converge at the Eastern Coal Regional Roundtable’s (ECRR) State of the Region Roundtable for a forum on past and future approaches to water and energy management from March 21-23, 2011.  Business leaders, policy-makers, watershed coordinators, regulatory agencies, academics, and other community members will create a model of relationship- and consensus-building to balance the demand for energy development and the need for clean water.  By initiating dialogue, the State of the Region Roundtable encourages rational debate in developing a holistic understanding of energy, watershed and economic priorities.

The presentations are extremely diverse, offering information on how environmental degradation impacts a region’s economy, current trends in environmental legislation at both federal and state levels, building effective partnerships, alternative energy, regional successes, and much more.  As can be expected, the presenters are just as diverse with representatives from universities, non-profit organizations, and multiple levels of government across Appalachian states.  A significant portion of time will be designated to around-the-table collaboration, which is the cornerstone of this unique event.

The State of the Region Roundtable will be held at breathtaking Pipestem State Park, West Virginia.   The event, offered by the ECRR takes place March 21-23, 2011.  Serving as a unified voice for watershed groups throughout the coalfields of Appalachia, ECRR is a non-profit that provides training, shares capacity- and fund-building opportunities, and educates decision makers.  

To register for the event, visit ERCC’s website: http://www.easterncoal.org/.  Scholarships are available for qualifying non-profit watershed organizations.