Abandoned Mine Posts

By Bruce Golden, Regional Coordinator

If you’re like me, you notice now reclaimed pasturelands that were the scene of past surface mining. They have a not-quite-natural engineered look. And they hardly ever have trees. Did you ever wonder why this land is pretty much always devoid of trees? Well, I did, and I finally found out why.

At a recent meeting of the Council for Research and Reclamation of Disturbed Lands (CRRDL), the theme was reforestation of mined lands. There I learned that the regulations governing the reclamation of surface mined sites require that the soils be highly compacted to lessen the effects of erosion from water runoff. What I didn’t know is that the roots of trees generally aren’t able to develop properly in a highly compacted soil medium. If the roots don’t grow, neither do the trees. It’s that simple. Unfortunately, the would-be trees weren’t informed of the regulations.

Fortunately, though, some smart tree lovin’ folks who thought trees, forests and such would be a good thing on these formerly mined lands looked into the matter and made some suggestions to give trees a fighting chance. First suggestion… you guessed it… don’t compact the soil, leave it real loose. The soil doesn’t have to be that great, but it should be at least 4 feet deep. It shouldn’t be smoothed out and it’s actually better if it looks like a rough moonscape. This allows for small water pools to develop which prevents overall erosion, provides water for the trees and allows good root penetration. The site should then be lightly seeded with compatible native ground cover. And lastly, a variety of tree species, including commercially valuable hardwoods, should be planted using proper planting techniques. These suggestions are the core of the Forestry Reclamation Approach developed by several academic institutions in southern Appalachia.

This relatively easy and economical method of reforestation yields amazingly quick growth and re-establishment of a viable forest in about 15 years. It certainly isn’t what you’d call pretty in the beginning, but the rapid transformation to viable forest land is more than worth it.

Now, getting back to the regulations that required highly compacted soils in reclaiming mine lands. The Federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM), the agency responsible for the regulations, agrees that forested lands have great benefits and have now adopted the Forestry Reclamation Approach as the heart of their Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI). Reclaiming mine lands to productive forested lands is now highly encouraged by OSM because of the many benefits bestowed by tress and forests. It appears the trick will now be convincing those have gotten used to the established way of reclaiming mine lands to compacted pastures to an unfamiliar methodology that restores forests.

Click here for more information on ARRI.Or contact Pennsylvania’s ARRI Core Team Members:

By Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator 

In the pre-Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) years prior to 1977, land reclamation activities were somewhat haphazard and not necessarily centered on preventing erosion and enhancing safety. In the past, previously forested mine lands (such as those which occur widely in Appalachia) were cleared, coal was extracted, and when reclamation did occur, it was done in a relatively simplistic way- there was little grading of the land and either trees were planted or forests naturally regenerated on the disturbed soils. However, in spite of the lack of standardization across state lines, in Appalachia land was often restored to its previous function as forestland.

 Early Re-forestation Efforts        

from: Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources

Since the passage of SMCRA in 1977, land reclamation following surface mining activities has traditionally been centered on increasing stability, improving water quality, and enhancing human safety. The technical complexities of SMCRA in the years following its passage became a challenge to regulators and mine operators alike and while these goals have been and continue to be a driving force of SMCRA, regulators had traditionally focused on stability of landforms created by mining at the expense of restoring the original land use and function. This desire to address erosion control and stability resulted in excessive soil compaction and the planting of grasses and other groundcovers with little or no regard to re-forestation.

The dominant thinking of the time was that post-mining land uses such as hay and pasture were easier and more inexpensive to achieve than forests. In the end, many mined lands were “restored” as grasslands but were never used for hay or pasture by their owners. As a result, forests slowly disappeared in Appalachia.

Somewhere along the line, there was a disconnect between implementing the goals of SMCRA and understanding the value of previous land function.

Over the years, scientific knowledge in the fields of re-forestation and reclamation has advanced to the point where achieving a goal of SMCRA, to create land with equal or better post-mining land use potential, is being better understood. Not only do forests provide wildlife habitat, but they assist with storm water control and recreation. And, given the concerns about carbon emissions in an era where we’re focused on global warming, provide much needed carbon sequestration.

The Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI) is a cooperative effort by the States of the Appalachian Region with the Federal Office of Surface Mining to encourage restoration of high quality forests on reclaimed coal mines in the eastern US. ARRI encourages the Forestry Reclamation Approach to reclaiming mine sites which is seen by the US Office of Surface Mining as a desirable method for reclaiming coal-mined land to support forested land uses.

For more information:

The Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative

by Bruce Golden, Regional Coordinator

!!! UPCOMING CONFERENCES REMINDER AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POSTING !!!

Over the past few weeks, eight public roundtable meetings were held around PA on how the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) should best spend an estimated $1.4 billion for abandoned mine reclamation over the next 15+ years. The meetings were designed to educate the public and solicit comments. The funding is derived from a recently amended federal law known as the Surface Ming Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) and represents a substantial increase in both the amounts and the flexibility for using the funding. So far, Pennsylvania is the only state affected by this law that has elected to gather public comment.

The meetings themselves were held in cooperation with the Citizens Advisory Council (CAC), Mining Reclamation Advisory Board (MRAB), Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (WPCAMR), Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR), and local sponsors in addition to DEP. In each meeting Andy McAllister of WPCAMR presented a video on how the amended law works, and Mike Hewitt of EPCAMR demonstrated an interactive computer program able to display maps of abandoned mine problems anywhere in PA. DEP also displayed large local maps depicting abandoned mine problem areas. The public comment portions of the meetings were facilitated by members of CAC and / or MRAB while DEP personnel were on hand to provide additional information.

The facilitators generally directed comments around the following Target Issues:

1. What should funds be spent on - land reclamation, water supplies, abandoned mine drainage?
2. How much should we ’set aside’ (up to 30%) for AMD, and how should it be used?
3. How can we maximize our efforts?
4. Are there related issues that need to be considered (unintended consequences of other programs, future land use, economic benefits)?

Here are some general impressions from the 8 meetings:

• Audience size varied from about 15 to 35 with generally greater attendance in western counties
• The makeup of audience varied with members of watershed and conservation organizations consistently representing the majority of participants
• The tenor of each of the meetings was respectful and constructive
• DEP personnel mostly listened, but provided commentary as appropriate
• There were quite a few comments about a range of reclamation methodologies and how they should be employed
• There were quite a few comments about the value of partnerships and watershed organizations for future reclamation

The only subjects that appeared to have a general consensus were:

• On the 30% AMD Set Aside, the majority of participants appeared to favor having DEP take the full 30%
• Most participants appeared to favor the establishment of an Operations & Maintenance fund to take care of AMD treatment systems.

A variety of materials is / will be available at the DEP/BAMR website, including
· Informal notes from each meeting
· Formal transcript (not yet available)
· Comment form

If you haven’t seen the SMCRA Title IV video, go to WPCAMR’s SMCRA Title IV page. If you haven’t been able to attend one of the roundtables and still wish to make a comment, go to the DEP/BAMR website for information on where to send a written comment.

***UPCOMING CONFERENCES REMINDER!

2007 NORTHWEST REGIONAL WATERSHED CONFERENCE

Saturday, June 23rd, 9:00 A.M.– 4:00 P.M., at Clarion University, Venango Campus, 1801 West First Street, Oil City PA 16301. This conference is geared toward watershed groups and municipalities with Non-Point Source Pollution prevention and education being the primary focus of the meeting. Registration information for this event can be obtained by visiting the Venango Conservation District website.

2007 PENNSYLVANIA STATEWIDE CONFERENCE ON ABANDONED MINE RECLAMATION

July 20 & 21, 2007 at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center, State College, PA. For more information and to register, go to: http://2007.treatminewater.com/

By Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator 

The SMCRA Title IV Public Roundtables continue this week with three meetings scheduled in PA’s Bituminous Region. The attendance at the previous roundtables has been great and the opinions expressed will provide the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and their Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (BAMR) with plenty of food for thought.

Educational component

The meeting format includes an an educational component consisting of a video produced specifically to show how the amended federal legislation will provide new flexibility and allow Pennsylvania to greatly increase the amount of abandoned mine reclamation done. 

Also included in the educational section is a demonstration of the Abandoned Mine Land Inventory System (AMLIS) GIS/database presented by Mike Hewitt of the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR). This presentation has been of particular interest to watershed groups and local landowners throughout both of our coal regions. The system allows the generation of on-the-fly maps depicting abandoned mine problems along with information about those problems. Even better, a CD containing the information is available free of charge that can run on most PCs. During the upcoming roundtables, Mike will show how the database works and will zoom in on areas of interest in your hometown. You can catch Mike’s AMLIS presentation during the educational session which runs from 4:00 until 5:30 pm. Also, the county abandoned mine land inventory maps produced by BAMR and presented at all of the Title IV roundtables are now available online.

Public Input

While many of the concerns and opinions that have surfaced during the roundtables reflect some of the common ground shared among the communities in both coal regions, opinions on some topics may differ. An example of this may be seen in the comments about taking the 30% Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) set aside. While most participants in the Bituminous roundtables appear to be in favor of taking the full 30% set aside, the opinions in the Anthracite region appear to be a little more mixed. Understandable. The Anthracite region has an incredible legacy of health and safety, land-based hazards that have been plaguing them for well over 100 years while at the same time the Bituminous Region is the place where you can find the majority of the State’s AMD-impacted streams.

Curious about the other meetings?

Check out DEPs official announcement of the roundtables and some of the unofficial meeting notes from previous roundtables. The notes are believed to reflect the sense of the discussions at the respective meetings but have not been comprehensively reviewed for accuracy. A formal record of each meeting will be made available once DEP is provided with the transcript.

Remember, this is your opportunity to help shape the future of Abandoned Mine Reclamation in Pennsylvania!

Mark your calendar for the meeting nearest you:

June 5 – Slippery Rock (Jennings Environmental Center)

June 6 – California (California University of PA, Morgan Hall)

June 7 – Dubois (Penn State University, Dubois Campus, Hiller Auditorium)

Light refreshments will be served.

(click here to view them all on a map and get driving directions)

All meetings will follow the agenda below:

4:00 to 5:30 pm – Educational videos and overview of SMCRA Title IV Reauthorization.
5:30 to 6:30 pm – Public review of PA’s Abandoned Mine Land inventory and maps.
6:30 to 8:30 pm – Public input session.

For more information about Title IV, click here.