U.S. Reps. Matt Cartwright and Glenn Thompson, a Republican from Bellefonte, have called for renewal of a program that reclaims mine lands.
âWeâre on a deadline,â Cartwright, D-8, Moosic, said Wednesday of the Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund, which expires in September.
The trust fund, established in 1977, is financed by a tax on each ton of coal mined. Cartwright said the fund paid to restore thousands of open mine portals, 1,000 miles of dangerous highwalls and restored water polluted by mine drainage.
Cartwright said the Arena Hub Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Twp. and distribution centers in Hazleton sit on former mine land.
A truck delivers another load of rocks while an excavator drops rocks on January 11, 2021, into a hole that opened at a 19th century abandoned iron ore mine along Old Route 100 in Washington Township. Work to fill in the hole now has been completed.
BEN HASTY â READING EAGLE
mmaroney@sungazette.com
Many organizations each year do projects to ensure wild trout are in abundance in streams, lakes and rivers.
Before the opening day of trout season on April 17, members of the Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited met for their annual watershed summit.
Reducing acid mind drainage by removing two old coal refuse culm piles that were causing water impairment near Mildred and Loyalsock Creek was a project discussed.
Acid mine drainage destroys the aquatic life, turning streams orange with toxic chemicals from mining, said Marc Lewis, spokesman for the Loyalsock Creek Watershed Association.
The Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation is helping to monitor the upper reaches of the creek. Water quality and the effluent from two abandoned mine discharge treatment systems are being looked at as is gas withdraw impacts, Lewis said.
From Mirror staff reports
HARRISBURG Three area projects are among 43 that will receive funding to clean up waters in the state’s Southcentral Region, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Collectively, more than $12 million in funding will come from the DEP’s Growing Greener program.
Statewide, more than $34 million has been awarded to fund 149 projects to clean up waters. Grantees have up to three years to implement their projects from the award date.
In Blair County, the Trust for Tomorrow will receive $40,000 for the Poplar Run Repair and Maintenance Project.
In Huntingdon County, two projects will be funded:
Indiana, PA / WDAD AM1450 & 100.3FM
Dec 31, 2020 4:02 AM
The state Department of Environmental Protection yesterday announced more than $34 million in funding for cleaning up stream waters across the commonwealth. $2.7 million of that is earmarked for the southwest portion of the state, and some of it will be put to use in Indiana County. Other funding in neighboring counties could impact streams that flow through Indiana County, and vice versa.
Funds specifically marked for Indiana County include $121,061 for the Conemaugh Valley Conservancy, Kiski-Conemaugh Stream Team Water and Assistance Program. That portion of the funding will also be used in Cambria, Armstrong, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties.