HARRISBURG – State Rep. Camille “Bud” George, D-74 of Houtzdale, Wednesday said a town hall meeting to solicit input on abandoned-mine cleanups is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 12, at Founders Hall at the Clearfield Campus of Lock Haven University.
The public meeting will begin at 4 p.m. with an overview of changes to the Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act and reviews of Pennsylvania’s abandoned mine land inventory. Public input will be sought during a two-hour, town hall meeting that begins at 6:30 p.m.
“Changes in the Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act make more money available to Pennsylvania, which has the largest abandoned-mine problem in the country,” George said. “Citizen input is needed to decide how much of the money is spent on abatement and treatment as opposed to restoration of polluted sites.”
The meeting is sponsored by the state Department of Environmental Protection along with the Citizens Advisory Council and the Mining and Reclamation Advisory Board.
Questions concerning the meeting can be directed to Sue Wilson of the advisory council at (717) 787-4527 or by e-mail; Rich Joyce at the DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, (717) 783-7669 and by e-mail; and Pam Milavec at the bureau’s Cambria District Office at 472-1800 and by e-mail.
Comments may be mailed to the Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, ATTN: AML Comments, P.O. Box 8476, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8476.
George said reauthorization of the federal Abandoned Mine Lands Trust Fund will provide more than $1 billion over the next 15 years to help Pennsylvania reclaim 175,000 acres of abandoned mine land, 6,000 miles of mine-damaged streams and 2 billion tons of waste coal.
“Pennsylvania may set aside up to 30 percent of the funds for abatement and treatment of abandoned-mine drainage,” George said. “It is an opportunity for the region to address the job- and habitat-killing scourge of acid-mine drainage.