HARRISBURG – State Rep. Camille “Bud” George, D-74 of Houtzdale, said that a Clearfield-area coal firm, RES Coal LLC, will reclaim a 25-acre abandoned mine in Girard Township at no cost to taxpayers.
“The company will re-grade 3,750 feet of highwall close to original contours and apply about 1,560 tons of waste lime to neutralize the acid mine drainage into the Surveyor Run watershed,” Rep. George said. “The firm will recover about 12,000 tons of coal in return for the reclamation work, which is valued at $175,700.”
The Shawville Coal Company abandoned the mine, situated along Ridge Road about a half mile northeast of the village of Surveyor, in the early 1960s. According to state Department of Environmental Protection documents, surface and the underground mining in the area degraded Surveyor Run for most of its length, rendering it unsuitable for aquatic life.
The DEP’s Moshannon District Office, which awarded the contract, said blasting at the site is allowed as part of the project but coal reprocessing is not.
