Abandoned Mine Posts

by Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator

The County Conservation District Watershed Specialists have been a vital force in Pennsylvania’s watershed movement for nearly 10 years, providing much needed environmental services in their counties and saving the state millions of dollars in project costs, in part by locating matching funding and in-kind contributions for environmental projects. Whether it’s fighting Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD), restoring streamside vegetation, or reducing water pollution caused by agricultural or urban runoff, our Watershed Specialists have been instrumental in many of Pennsylvania’s environmental successes. As part of a campaign to increase awareness of our county Watershed Specialists, WPCAMR Video Diaries pays a visit to the Westmoreland Conservation District to talk to Watershed Specialist, Rob Cronauer about his work and the future of the Watershed Specialist positions.  Note: If you are at a work computer and cannot view the video, check with your IT person to see if embedded videos are blocked on your computer. Click on the player below to watch.

 by Bruce Golden, Regional Coordinator

There are times when simple actions we take now may be especially consequential for the future. For those of us involved in mining reclamation activities (a majority of this readership), I believe this is one of those times.  The answer to “Who will become the federal Office of Surface Mining’s (OSM’s) next director?”  will be very consequential at the national and state levels during the Obama administration.  You have an opportunity to support an eminently qualified and suited individual for that position in Joseph G. Pizarchik, currently the director of Pennsylvania DEP’s Bureau of Mining and Reclamation.   I’ll save for later how best to support his candidacy.  First, some background.

Pennsylvania DEP’s Joe Pizarchik is President Obama’s choice (nominee) for the new Director of OSM.  As it currently stands, Joe is part way through the confirmation process, having recently testified before the U.S. Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee.  (You can watch the video of his hearing by clicking here. Note: Advance the program slider to about 16 minutes to avoid a long viewing of  the opening screen!)   When  the Senate returns from summer recess after Labor Day, the Senate ENR Committee  will vote on forwarding Joe’s candidacy to the entire Senate.  If it reaches the Senate floor, a simple majority vote will decide the fate of his nomination.  An affirmative Senate vote means Joe Pizarchik would be sworn in as OSM’s new Director.

My first hand experience with Joe have been nothing but positive.  I believe him to be fair and open-minded with everyone (which includes the environmental community and coal operators).  He makes himself easily available and goes out of his way to provide information.  Joe is smart and well spoken, although you can sometimes tell he’s an attorney :-).  (I won’t hold that against him.)    With his years of experience, Joe knows the issues and the law regarding mining and reclamation.  Joe has the right stuff to make an outstanding, effective OSM director for the entire nation.  I don’t expect PA to receive any favored treatment… but am confident Joe will act as he does in his current position at DEP: fairly, thoughtfully, consistently and within the boundaries of the law.

Pennsylvania watershed groups and conservation districts know of and have benefited from Joe’s work and experience in Harrisburg.  Here are examples:

• Being able to use co-gen ash as a beneficial material in mining reclamation projects for both land reclamation and acid mine drainage (AMD) remediation projects.  (See WPCAMR brochure “Burning Waste Coal in CFB Power Plants“)
• Enabling the coal industry to do remining as a no-cost-to-taxpayers way of reclaiming mine-scarred lands and eliminating or improving AMD discharges.  (See WPCAMR brochure on “Remining“)
• Co-authoring the Pennsylvania’s Good Samaritan Act, which gives land owners and non-profit groups participating in reclamation projects legal protection statewide.

Joe was instrumental and a driving force for each of these.  Behind each are laws, regulations, and policies that have enabled many environmental successes in reclaiming abandoned mine sites and improving streams degraded by AMD.  Pennsylvania has been a leader and innovator in meeting our nation’s energy challenges while addressing environmental impacts.  The pragmatic approach of industry, government and environmental groups working together and cooperatively has proven to be very effective for enabling  Pennsylvania’s watershed movement to make great environmental strides over the past decade.  Joe is one of those behind-the-scenes, unsung heroes that made that possible.

An important part of the Senate confirmation process is the ability for citizens to speak their minds.  Since his nomination, Joe has drawn considerable ire from those opposed to the use of ANY coal ash for just about ANY purpose.  Joe’s role in the implementation of Pennsylvania’s beneficial ash placement program appears to be the lightning rod that’s attracted such a fervent opposition as expressed in several internet blogs and newspaper articles.  (See below for links.)  Based on supposition and misinformation, Joe’s detractors have, in my opinion, inappropriately and unfairly drawn a host of false conclusions on the policies he supports and his own motivations.  An inference that the environmental community is united in opposing Joe and Pennsylvania’s underlying policies couldn’t be further from the truth.   I certainly don’t challenge anyone’s right to their opinions or the right to express them, but I do challenge the basis on which they are drawn.  Unfortunately, the suppositions raised in a concerted campaign to the Senate ENR Committee appear to have gained some traction, at least enough to have influenced questioning at Joe’s confirmation hearing.

Joe’s supporters also have the right to express themselves.  The current contentious atmosphere makes that particularly important.  Politicians do pay attention to issues raised by the public.   Those decision makers would benefit from hearing another view.

Here’s how you can help in supporting Joe’s nomination.

• Using your own words, write a letter on your organization’s letterhead supporting Joe Pizarchik’s nomination as OSM’s new director.  It doesn’t have to be long or eloquent, but it should be sincere and say why you support him.  Letters having stock verbiage are quickly recognized and quickly discounted.  (These are referred to as Astroturf, as opposed to Grassroots.)  Individually written letters simply count more.
• Your letter should be addressed to:
  Senator Jeff Bingaman, Chairman
  Energy and Natural Resources Committee Office
  304 Dirksen Senate Building
  Washington, DC 20510and  cc: Sen. Arlen Specter, Sen. Robert Casey
• Scan your letter to PDF format  (suggested file name: “OSM Pizarchik Support [Your Last Name And First Initial])”,
  then email it as an attachment to  sam_fowler@energy.senate.gov .  I suggest the subject line of the email be “OSM Pizarchik Support”.  I would appreciate also being cc’d on the email at bruce@wpcamr.org.
• Only if you are unable to convert your letter to PDF format, a backup alternative is to fax your letter to the Senate ENR Committee at (202) 224-9026.
• FAX your letter individually to
  Senator Arlen Specter  at  (202) 228-1229
  and Senator Robert Casey  at  (202) 228-0604
• Because of security measures in Congress, sending anything other than email or fax  correspondence will be too slow.
  Since the Senate ENR Committee will likely deliberate in early September, getting your electronically sent letter in their hands as soon as possible is important.

We will keep you apprised of developments as they happen.   I personally appreciate and thank you for any support that you extend to Joe in being confirmed as OSM’s next Director.

Links

Good Samaritan Act  Pennsylvania DEP Fact Sheet
Coal Ash Beneficial Use Pennsylvania DEP BMR page with additional links
Burning Waste Coal in CFB Power Plants brochure by WPCAMR
Coal Fly Ash Report Pennsylvania Joint Legislative Conservation Committee
Beneficial Use of Coal Ash Pennsylvania Regulations currently under revision
Pennsylvania’s Remining Incentives Pennsylvania DEP Fact Sheet
Remining  brochure by WPCAMR

Opposition to Joe Pizarchik’s nomination

Citizens oppose Obama’s latest favorite for OSM(RE)  Coal Tattoo blog
Groups against federal mining nominee by Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Enviro Groups Pan Obama’s Mining Pick    by Justin Rood, ABC News blog
Let Them Eat Coal Ash: OSM Nominee Pizarchik Must Be Stopped Now, Jeff Biggers, Huffington Post blog

By Cliff Denholm, Stream Restoration, Inc.

(Editor’s Note:  Stream Restoration Inc. (SRI) is a non-profit organization whose mission focuses on the restoration of streams impacted by abandoned coal mine drainage.  SRI is located in Mars, PA.)

As many of you may already be aware, a partnership effort has been organized to conduct two water quality snapshots of all the publicly-funded passive treatment systems located within Pennsylvania.  This snapshot will consist of collecting water samples for laboratory analysis as well as measuring selected field parameters.  The samples will be collected for the raw untreated AMD, the final effluent of the passive system, and the influent and effluent of every alkalinity-generating component such as ALDs, VFPs, SAPS, etc., as feasible.

The first snapshot is planned to take place over the next couple of months (August and September 2009).  The second snapshot is planned to take place in late winter/early spring (March, April, May 2010).  The monitoring will be conducted by a team consisting of individuals from PA DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (BAMR), Stream Team, PA Senior Environmental Corps, Mill Creek Coalition, Babb Creek Watershed Association, Broadtop Township, and Stream Restoration Incorporated.  Funding for the snapshot is through a PA DEP Growing Greener Grant obtained by the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (WPCAMR).

Data from the snapshot will be made publicly available via Datashed http://www.datashed.org/ which is a free, web-based database designed to assist in the management of data related to passive treatment systems and stream monitoring for watershed groups, nonprofits, academia, government agencies and anyone else interested in passive treatment.  In addition to the water monitoring data from this snapshot event, information regarding these passive systems, which has been collected by PA DEP BAMR over the last year including existing water quality data, site schematics, as-builts, information forms, etc. will be uploaded to Datashed.  An account is not necessary to view any of this data; however, if you would like to be able to upload your own data, documents, and information you can get an account very easily by contacting Cliff Denholm or Shaun Busler at Stream Restoration Inc. 724-776-0161.
We have tried to include as many email addresses of watershed organizations as we could however there were many that we could not find.  So please feel free to forward this announcement to watershed groups that you know.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this sampling event please contact Cliff Denholm at Stream Restoration Incorporated. Telephone: 724-776-0161, Email:
sri@streamrestorationinc.org

Watershed Cooperative Agreement Update

By Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator

There are very hopeful signs coming out of Washington, D.C.  The reinsertion of language into the Federal Appropriations Bill allowing the Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program (WCAP) funding to be used as match for other federal grants has been made in both the House of Representatives and Senate versions.  This is very positive news.  As you’ll recall, WCAP is a grant program administered by the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) providing secondary funding to AMD treatment system projects.  The bill is now in conference which means that the House and Senate are hammering out the final details.  We don’t anticpate any further modifications, but as Yogi Berra has said, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”  WPCAMR will continue to monitor this process and we’ll keep you informed of developments as we learn of them. WPCAMR is proud to be among several groups that advocated for this action to be taken.

By Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator

Now in its 11th consecutive year, Pennsylvania’s longest-running conference dedicated to Abandoned Mine Reclamation (AMR) will be held July 13-16, 2009 at the University of Pittsburgh’s Johnstown Campus (UPJ). This year’s theme, “Challenges and Opportunities in Interesting Times”, reminds us that although some opportunities may be ebbing, other opportunities may come to light, opportunities that may help us see Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) and our Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) in a very different way. The ability to use mine pool water for geothermal heating and cooling or to generate electricity by micro-hydro generation are but two ways to make lemonade out of our proverbial “AMR lemons”.

Of course as in past years, updates on the latest AMD treatment methodologies will also be an integral of this year’s conference as well. In addition, PA Dept. of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation plans to present their final Implementation Guidelines for the AMD Set-Aside program in Pennsylvania.

To pique your interest even more, the Coal Mining Heritage component that was so well-received at last year’s conference is making a return appearance for 2009, featuring presentations ranging from an examination of the Lilly riot of 1924 to the VISTA Initiative at the Anthracite Heritage Alliance.

We are particularly fortunate to have the 2009 conference in Johnstown, an area bathed in memories of our industrial past: The Johnstown Heritage Discovery Center, The nearby Windber Coal Heritage Center , historic downtown Johnstown and the Flood Museum, the list goes on.

Now that we have your interest, here’s what you need to do so you won’t miss out:

• Go to the conference website, www.treatminewater.com and check out the schedule. More speakers are being added, so keep checking back to the conference website for the latest updated schedule.
• Scholarships are available for watershed group members and Conservation District Watershed Specialists who attend the conference. Scholarships are limited so you’ll need to act quickly.
• When you’re ready to register, click on “Registration” and follow the directions to register online.
• You’re on your own to arrange accommodations, however a block of rooms is reserved at UPJ’s dormitories at the Living and Learning Center. The dorm rooms with private bath are available at $32 single room and $50 double room per night (hotel quality rooms) but you must reserve your room by June 20th to receive these special rates. Contact UPJ directly to register for rooms (814) 269-1900 or 1-800-875-5958.

Incidentally, for those who are interested in viewing Abandoned Mine Drainage and Abandoned Mine Land sites and can never get enough, there will be a pre-conference optional bus tour to AMD/AML sites in the area on Monday afternoon July 13th. To make this tour even more interesting, the last stop for the day will be at the Windber Coal Heritage Center where participants can marvel at the artifacts and stories of our coal mining past. A complete schedule of tour stops will soon be posted on the 2009 AMR Conference website. Space is limited on the bus tour so register soon!