HARRISBURG – Dangerous abandoned mine lands with threatening, 115-foot high cliffs and 15 acres of acidic spoil that pollute the Moshannon Creek in Clearfield County will be reclaimed as part of a re-mining project that significantly reduces the reclamation cost while providing at least 10 mining jobs.
The Department of Environmental Protection will issue a surface mining permit to Junior Coal Contracting of Osceola Mills, Clearfield County, that enables the company to add alkaline material to neutralize acid mine drainage from abandoned deep mine workings beneath the site.
“Under Governor Edward G. Rendell’s leadership, we have made significant progress reclaiming abandoned mine lands that endanger lives, pollute our waterways, and put the state at an economic disadvantage,” said DEP acting Secretary John Hanger. “This is one of many mine reclamation projects DEP is managing and developing that will have an immediate and positive impact on the environment and the quality of life for area residents.”
The site, the Vought operation in Decatur Township, was extensively surface mined by Power Operating Co. before the company went bankrupt in 2000, leaving several coal mines in the bituminous region unreclaimed and forfeiting mine reclamation bonds at those sites.
The 27-acre abandoned surface mine contains 1,700 linear feet of highwall with cliffs as high as 115 feet and approximately 15 acres of mine spoil and disturbed earth.
DEP partnered with Junior Coal Contracting to resume mining at the site, remove the remaining coal reserves, and reclaim the site to eliminate safety hazards at no cost to the taxpayers.
Without this arrangement, the reclamation could cost to taxpayers could have been as much as $1.6 million based on estimates to backfill, grade and vegetate the site. At least another $600,000 would have been necessary to ensure the long-term operation and replacement costs associated with treating the acid discharge.
Using $500,000 in funding from the state’s Growing Greener II program, DEP will provide 62,500 tons of lime that will be added to the reclaimed earth at four times the normal rate to permanently neutralize the acidity of surface water entering the abandoned Roslyn deep mine. This alkaline addition will eliminate the acidic discharge from the Roslyn mine into the Moshannon Creek, which is badly degraded from past unregulated mining practices.
“The Moshannon Creek is one of the most polluted streams in the state and is a significant contributor of mine drainage into the West Branch Susquehanna River,” Hanger said. “By addressing this discharge through a re-mining permit we are taking one more step toward bringing this waterway back to life, restoring lost recreational and economic opportunities for the entire region, and freeing up much-needed abandoned mine funds to address other abandoned sites.”
Work on the Vought site is expected to begin in June.
Bureau of District Mining Operations oversees approximately 3,500 active mining permits, as well as the reclamation of mining sites that have been abandoned since passage of modern regulations in 1977. Through the commonwealth’s innovative re-mining program, which encourages modern coal mine operators to complete the mining and reclamation of abandoned sites, DEP reclaimed 315 acres of abandoned mine lands on 29 sites at no cost to the taxpayers in 2008. The total estimated value of this reclamation was $1.9 million.
In addition, under the Government Financed Construction Contract program, DEP staff will review and process reclamation proposals and issue no-cost contracts for mining companies to encourage them to mine abandoned sites that contain recoverable coal reserves and complete reclamation at no cost to the taxpayers. During 2008, 39 contracts were completed at an estimated reclamation value to the commonwealth of $2.8 million.
For more information, visit here, keyword: Mining.
