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EPA, Pa. DEP Approve Innovative Remining Plan

Release Date: 9/22/2000
Contact Information: Roy Seneca, (215) 814-5567

Roy Seneca, 215-814-5567

PHILADELPHIA -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection have approved an innovative remining pilot project that will help restore and reclaim abandoned coal lands and reduce acid mine drainage in Pennsylvania at no cost to the public.

Under the state-sponsored pilot project, mining companies are eligible for remining permits based on their commitment to regrade, restore, and revegetate abandoned coal lands in the drainage area of streams and thereby prevent pollution caused by acid mine drainage. In return for this higher level of environmental protection, EPA and DEP will be more flexible in monitoring water quality coming from the mining site.

“The result will be improved stream quality, and reduced liability to the mining companies. This new business-friendly approach would require mining companies to restore watersheds by using best management practices to reduce acid mine drainage,” said EPA’s mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Bradley Campbell

Campbell signed the agreement today along with DEP Secretary James M. Seif.

Instead of setting specific pollutant limits at each individual discharge pipe from a mining site, EPA and DEP will look at the big picture by setting limits on overall stream quality downstream from the mine. This will encourage coal operators to undertake remining projects that otherwise would have been too risky or expensive because of the potential liabilities for pollution discharges.

“Pennsylvania is scarred by 250,000 acres of abandoned mine lands, and acid mine drainage from abandoned mines is one of the greatest sources of water pollution,” said Seif. “This agreement will promote more remining operations to clean up abandoned mine lands and restore watersheds at not cost to taxpayers.”

In 1999, nearly 5,000 acres of abandoned mine land were reclaimed in Pennsylvania through remining operations, at a value of approximately $34 million.

The project is expected to begin at two sites in Clearfield County (Surveyor Run and Pine Run watersheds) and one site in Butler County (Soldier Run watershed), and later would be tested at five other sites in the state.

The project is part of EPA’s Project XL, which stands for eXcellence and Leadership. It is a national program that allows companies flexibility in environmental regulations on condition that the public benefits from reduced pollution or other superior environmental performance.

Project XL achieves common sense environmental regulation, making it easier for businesses to compete. In this case, the public benefits by reclaiming scarred and abandoned mine lands, and mining companies benefit from more flexible regulation.

Each remining site selected for the pilot project will be an abandoned previously mined area that was left unreclaimed and is not expected to be remined in the future under the existing permitting program.

More information on EPA’s Project XL and this agreement can be viewed online at www.epa.gov/projectXL/.http://www.epa.gov