John Stefanko, PA DEP Deputy Secretary, Office of Abandoned Mine Operations, Keynote Address, "Reclaiming Our Communities: Opportunities for the Future"
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John Stefanko, PA DEP Deputy Secretary, Office of Abandoned Mine Operations, Keynote Address, "Reclaiming Our Communities: Opportunities for the Future"
- 1. Reclaiming Our Communities: Opportunities for the Future John Stefanko Deputy Secretary AMR Conference – State College June 26, 2015 Tom Wolf, Governor John Quigley, Secretary DEP – Office of Active and Abandoned Mine Operations
- 2. • What We Have Accomplished ‒ Acid Mine Drainage ‒ Health and Safety Hazards ‒ Mine Fires • Upcoming Projects • Funding Issues Overview
- 3. Kiskiminetas-Conemaugh TMDL Watershed Saint Michaels
- 4. Construction of the St. Michael AMD Treatment Plant Saint Michaels
- 5. Saint Michaels Little Conemaugh River at Mineral Point Before After
- 6. Fall Brook Treatment and Restoration Project Fall Brook Project
- 8. Health and Safety Hazards
- 9. Jay Township, Elk County – 56 Acres, Completed August 2014 for $706,408 Weedville Project Before After
- 10. Coal Run Project Bridgeville Borough, Allegheny County – 0.3 Acres, Completed May 2014 for $336,979 Before After
- 11. Foster Township, Luzerne County – 63 Acres, Completed in January 2015 for $2,230,933 Green Mountain Project Before After
- 12. Coal Township, Northumberland County – 86 Acres, Completed April 2014 for $1,384,634 Boyers Knob Lookout Project Before After
- 13. Mine Fires
- 14. Fell Township, Lackawanna County – 17.6 Acres, Completed May 2014 for $2,180,130 Simpson Northeast Project Before After
- 15. Nicholson Township, Fayette County – 12.4 Acres, Completed September 2014 for $1,090,319 Rocks Works Project Before After
- 16. • AML funds received by Pennsylvania: $1,130,174,035 • Fees from industry: $554,379,305 (FY 1978 to FY 2014) • 67,193 reclaimed acres (OSM’s GRPA method) AML Program Accomplishments
- 18. Carbondale, Lackawanna County – 108 Acres, Projected Completion is December 2017, Bid $8,947,732 Powderly Mine Fire Project
- 19. Croyle and East Taylor townships and Ehrenfeld Borough, Cambria County – 242.5 Acres, Details To Be Determined Ehrenfeld Project
- 20. Cooper Township, Clearfield County – 91 Acres, Details To Be Determined Weber Run South Project
- 21. Cooper Township, Clearfield County – 170 Acres, Details To Be Determined South Peale Project
- 22. Plum Borough, Allegheny County – 20 Acres, Details To Be Determined Renton Mine Fire Project
- 23. • Power Plus Plan • Appropriations Bill Proposal • Reauthorization Funding Issues
Editor's Notes
- DEP signed a Consent Order and Agreement with Rosebud Mining on December 5, 2012 to treat the St. Michael discharge. This is a significant agreement in that it eliminated a major source of acid mine drainage into the Little Conemaugh River and will allow Rosebud to safely mine a significant coal reserve for up to 40 years adjacent to the St. Michael discharge. DEP worked with EPA to come up with a ground breaking agreement for a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit for the St. Michael’s facility. The result was the first mining permit issued in Pennsylvania to include specific language requiring Rosebud to document discharge reductions in the area. It also is the first to provide a methodology for calculating and reporting acid mine drainage load reductions on the river.
- The construction of the plant was completed and the “Test Period” of operation commenced in mid-July 2013.
- The construction of the plant has been completed and the “Test Period” of operation commenced in mid-July 2013. The initial impacts the treatment of the discharge has on the receiving streams are very dramatic and clearly visible. Discharge reduction impacts were estimated at almost 99% for iron (reduction of 2,800,000 pounds a year) and 74% for manganese and aluminum (reduction of 76,600 and 75,400 pounds respectively). The mine employs approximately 200 people with the possibility of adding more with improved market conditions.
- June 15 was the groundbreaking for the Fall Brook treatment facility, the results of a 30 year effort by the Tioga County Concerned Citizens Committee and partners including Southwestern Energy, Hillside Rod and Gun Club, Tioga County Conservation District, PA Department’s of Environmental Protection and Conservation and Natural Resources, Susquehanna River Basin Commission, Trout Unlimited, Ward Township, and Blossburg Municipal Authority. Through a $2.5 million donation from Southwest Energy, the project will proceed that will result in restoring two miles of Fall Brook and three miles of the Tioga River to a condition that will support trout populations. The Southwest Energy donation will also fund a $700,000 trust to pay for the maintenance of the system. HOLLYWOOD VIDEO WILL PLAY AS SOON AS YOU ADVANCE THE SLIDE. PLEASE DO NOT ADVANCE UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO SHOW THE VIDEO!
- The Hollywood MIW Treatment Plant is located along the Bennett Branch Sinnemahoning Creek in Huston Township, Clearfield County near the border with Elk County which has been degraded by mine drainage from numerous abandoned deep and surface mine discharges. This facility was located to treat 21 of the most significant discharges in an effort to restore the lower 33 miles of the Bennett Branch and became fully operational on July 1, 2012. The average flow into the plant has been approximately 2.7 million gallons per day. Treatment of MIW at the Hollywood plant has significantly contributed to improving the water quality in the Bennett Branch. Bennett Branch was stocked with trout for the first time ever on April 6, 2013, and enabled fishing for the first time in over 60 years. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission added Bennett Branch to its trout stocking list after it was successfully stocked last year by a local sportsman’s group. DEP is monitoring Bennett Branch water quality and temperature using continuous monitoring recorders. This data is being provided to the Fish and Boat Commission. Plant operations were modified in July of 2013 in order to increase alkalinity in the plant effluent to provide extra buffering capacity to Bennett Branch.
- The Weedville project eliminated two dangerous highwalls at a combined length of 5,500 linear feet ranging in height from 40 to 80 feet. The adjacent two parent spoil piles areas and four additional mine refuse areas were utilized to backfill and reclaim each of the dangerous highwalls. One coke oven that was identified as a dangerous abandoned mine structure was also eliminated. This dangerous condition was a direct result of an abandoned surface mine of the New Shawmut Mining Company that ceased operations prior to 1946. Met OSM Priority 2 safety criteria.
- The Coal Run project eliminated 200 feet of a dangerous highwall by the construction of a multi-terraced retaining wall system. Prior to the construction of the retaining wall, the dangerous highwall promoted intense public visitation through hiking trials and rope swings that were integrated throughout rocky vertical ledges of the dangerous highwall. Eighty homes were located within 500 feet of the project site with four only 20 feet from the dangerous highwall. This dangerous condition was a direct result of an abandoned deep mine of the Pittsburgh Coal Company that was inventoried prior 1936. OSM Priority 2 safety criteria.
- The site included 3 dangerous piles and embankments, 1 stripping pit, and 1 spoil pile. The project consisted of backfilling the stripping pit and grading the piles. An unnamed tributary to Oley Creek conveyed a large amount of sediment from the site and into Beech Mountain Lake. In order to eliminate the hazards and reduce the erosion problem, approximately 1,053,680 cubic yards of on-site material was re-graded over the 63 acre area.
- The project involved the backfilling and grading of 2,050 feet of dangerous highwalls ranging in depth from 20 to 60 feet, the removal of dangerous piles and embankments from 20 to 60 feet high, the backfilling of sixteen mine openings with 5 requiring bat gates and the removal of thee hazardous structures. The work reclaimed 86 acres of abandoned strip mine land by grading approximately a half million cubic yards of on-site material. Over 300 feet of stream flow was reestablished to the surface that used to flow into a strip pit.
- The surface expression area of the fire measured approximately 200 feet wide and 200 feet long with the depth being unknown. Smoke and odor were affecting nearby residents. The height of the refuse bank was estimated to be 80 - 100 feet high. The bank covered approximately 4 acres and sat on the north side of a much larger flat coal refuse area. The project consisted of establishing a water supply, excavating the burning refuse, quenching the fire and grading the surrounding area. It was necessary to excavate 279,700 cubic yards of material, pump 156,333,000 gallons of water, and use 34,750 gallons of Class A Fire Fighting Foam to extinguish the refuse fire. Upon completion of the quenching of the fire, any disturbed areas were seeded, cleaned up and the equipment was demobilized.
- This area was the source of an underground mine fire and located within close proximity to places of intense visitation by the public. The project involved excavating and extinguishing combustible material then backfilling to the approximate original contour. The existing vegetation was removed prior to earthwork activities then the site was reclaimed and stabilized with new vegetation.
- Underground mining was completed in the 1920’s; surface mining of the remnant coal was performed through the 1960’s, with the approximate present limit of spoil shown on a 1969 aerial photo. The entire Project Area consists of approximately 108 acres of surface and underground Abandoned Mine Land Features on private property. An underground mine fire is currently burning beneath approximately 25 acres. Of the 108 acres, 82 will be reclaimed.
- The project includes two problem areas adjacent to one another. The Ehrenfeld refuse pile was formed from the Pennsylvania Coal and Coke Company's Ehrenfeld Mine No. 3, a Lower Kittanning deep mine, and also from the Ehrenfeld Mine No. 8, a Lower Freeport deep mine. The removal of this pile will eliminate five hazardous abandoned mine land features that are associated with this pile. This proposed project will include placement of the coal refuse within and the reclamation of an adjacent problem area which contains a number of AML features including multiple highwalls and associated spoil areas. Over 17,000 linear feet of highwalls will be eliminated. Both sites exhibit evidence of frequent visitation by the public and are located in close proximity to developed residential and recreational facilities.
- The site was deep mined between the early 1900s and the 1940s. Surface mining occurred on this site in the 1960s by Robert Bailey Estate prior to the purchase of the property by E.M. Brown, Inc. from the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation in 1977. The project will resolve 10 abandoned mine land features on two problem areas including addressing a hazardous water body, 14,250 feet of highwall, and strip pits.
- The site was mined between 1949 until the 1970’s by various companies prior to the purchase of the property by E.M. Brown, Inc. from the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation in 1977. The project will eliminate 13,200 feet of highwall and backfill and regrade strip pits.
- The burning underground mine is the Union Collieries Company, Pittsburgh Seam, Renton No.1 underground mine abandoned in 1914. The project has been labeled as “High Worth”, with significant benefits at a high cost. Exploratory drilling was used to locate the areal extent and depth of burning areas. More than 70 boreholes evaluated mine level conditions and facilitated design of a comprehensive project to extinguish the fire. The first phase of the project involves clearing and grubbing, drilling and flushing for an isolation barrier emplacement and extinguishing burning areas that are too deep or inaccessible for excavation. The next phase of the project will excavate and quench shallow burning areas and reclaim the site.
- Power Plus The President’s FY 2016 budget request includes an initiative called the Power+ Plan. The Power+ Plan includes an Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) Proposal. AMLER would prove $200 million per year for 5 years for AML projects with an economic revitalization component. The AMLER funding is accelerated funding from the federal AML Trust Fund that would have been granted to PA beginning in 2023 through 2027. Pennsylvania could stand to receive ~$335 million ($67 million per year or 34.65% of the $195 million available to historic coal states) of the AMLER funding. There is significant interest and support on Capitol Hill from members of both parties for the AMLER proposal. Pennsylvania, in cooperation with National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs (NAAMLP) and Interstate Mining Compact Commission (IMCC), developed a list of questions which were forwarded to the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) and the Administration for review and response. The questions relate to insuring PA receives the funds it is entitled too and they are distributed in a manner similar to the current grant process to so that it does done as efficiently as possible and not require substantial additional work load for both OSM and PA. Responses have been received from OSM and are under review. Pennsylvania supports the additional funds and DEP is currently developing an implementation strategy for using the AMLER funds and feel we have the ability to utilize the funds with existing staff and support. If approved, the AMLER funds would be granted to the PA DEP Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation using the same process as is currently used for PA’s annual AML Grants. The AMLER grants would be in addition to the regular AML grants bringing the annual AML funding to ~$110 million for each of the five years of the program. The AMLER funding can be used for any eligible AML problem (P1/P2/P3) including AMD provided there is an economic development component to the project. According to OSM, there is also potential to fund operations and maintenance with adequate justification showing that the 30% set-aside fund is inadequate. As a starting point and based on our understanding of the types of projects that could qualify for AMLER funding, DEP has developed a preliminary list of potential projects which could be targeted with AMLER funds. As more details of the AMLER proposal are released by OSM, the proposed implementation strategy and list of potential projects will be reviewed to ensure both meet the requirements of the program. OSM is developing a strategy and legislative language to authorize the AMLER Program with a goal of completing the legislation in time for Congress to approve it and have the President sign it prior to September 30, 2015. Appropriations Bill Proposal Bill language In addition, $30,000,000, to remain available until expended, for grants to States for reclamation of abandoned mine lands and other related activities in accordance with the terms and conditions in the report accompanying this Act: Provided, That such additional amount shall be used for economic and community development in conjunction with the priorities in section 403(a) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1233(a)): Provided further, That such additional amount shall be distributed in equal amounts to the 3 Appalachian States with the greatest amount of unfunded needs to meet the priorities described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of such section: Provided further, That such additional amount shall be allocated to States within 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act. Accompanying report language The Committee provides $30,000,000 for grants to States for the reclamation of abandoned mine lands in conjunction with economic and community development and reuse goals. It is the Committee’s intent that States shall use these funds to accelerate the remediation of AML sites with economic and community development end uses in mind. In doing so, the Committee envisions a collaborative partnership between the State AML programs and their respective State and local economic and community development programs that will explore ways to return legacy coal sites to productive reuse. The Committee notes that these grants are provided from the General Fund and are therefore separate from the estimated $185 million in mandatory payments from the Abandoned Mine Land fund in fiscal year 2016. The Committee believes that an incremental approach is warranted to better understand programmatic impacts of proposing criteria changes to the underlying law. As such, the Committee expects that State efforts under this pilot program will inform future policy discussions, possibly under a reauthorization of SMCRA, which the Committee supports. Grants shall be provided to the three Appalachian states with the largest unfunded needs for the reclamation of Priority 1 and Priority 2 sites as delineated in the Abandoned Mine Land Inventory System. State AML programs, in consultation with State economic and community development authorities, shall develop a list of eligible AML projects in Appalachian counties that have a nexus to economic and community development, and select qualifying AML projects that have the potential to create long-term economic benefits. State AML programs should consider whether a model similar to the Appalachian Regional Commission grants process could streamline project selection, and whether an interagency agreement or other contracting mechanisms could streamline program implementation. Eligible grant recipients are limited to state and local governmental entities who may subcontract project-related activities as appropriate.