Pennsylvania's Comprehensive Plan for Abandoned Mine Reclamation
Issued June 1997
Revised June 1998
Appendix C "Criteria for Project Selection" was updated in August 2004
I. Introduction
Pennsylvania has a history of coal mining beginning in the 1800s. Coal from Pennsylvania fueled the industrial growth of the country and provided the energy to fight two world wars. But this legacy has left numerous scars on the Pennsylvania landscape. There are over 250,000 acres of abandoned surface mines with dangerous highwalls and water filled pits. About 2,400 miles of streams do not meet water quality standards because of drainage from abandoned mines. There are uncounted households without adequate water supply due to past mining practices. Mine fires and subsidence plague many Pennsylvania communities.
Pennsylvania long has been leader in reclaiming abandoned mine lands. In the mid-1960s, a bond issue authorized $200 million to solve the problems of the past. Operation Scarlift, as it was known, completed over 500 stream pollution abatement projects to the tune of $75,000,000. Seventy-five underground mine fires were extinguished at a cost of $24 million and more than 150 areas subjected to mine subsidence were stabilized at a cost of $26 million. Air pollution at 30 burning refuse banks was controlled for a cost of $16 million.
The reclamation of abandoned mine lands including the abatement of mine drainage is essential to improving the environment and the well-being of the citizens of Pennsylvania. In the past, the selection of reclamation projects was based largely on the requirements of the funding source and the consent of the landowner.
During the "Operation Scarlift" days, the bond issue legislation focused attention on restoring streams impacted by acid mine drainage, on extinguishing mine fires and on controlling mine subsidence. When federal funding became available from Title IV of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA), OSM focused attention on Priority 1 and 2 health and safety problems rather than general welfare problems. Mine drainage abatement was not considered a Priority 1 or 2 problem in most cases. Revisions to the federal policy now consider general welfare problems that are in proximity to populated areas or have adverse economic impacts as potential Priority 2 problems. These changes to the federal law give more flexibility in expending the SMCRA funds.
More recently, grassroots organizations have expressed the need to improve the quality of streams polluted by acid mine drainage. While these organizations emphasize mine drainage treatment and abatement, they have taken an areal approach focusing on watershed cleanup. Rehabilitation plans are developed addressing the watershed as a whole. The department, also, has begun to take an areal approach looking, for example, at water supplies impacted by mining on an areal basis.
The difficulty facing those engaged in abandoned mine reclamation is the magnitude of the problem ($15 billion by some estimates) and the dearth of funds to address it. Decision makers have a difficult task in determining how to spend the limited resources. A decision to fund a project means another worthy project will not be funded. It is obligatory, therefore, for abandoned mine reclamation "practitioners" to effectively plan for abandoned mine reclamation so that measurable, significant benefits accrue from the money spent. A comprehensive approach to planning is needed to accomplish this goal.
II. Purpose of this Plan
The purpose of this plan is to establish a frame-work for organizing reclamation efforts, for coordinating among those involved in reclamation activities, for prioritizing expenditures and for decision-making. The plan is a guide; as such, it is not an absolute under which every decision is to be made and every action must fall. The plan is intended to help those involved in reclamation activities focus on similar, achievable goals. The plan is intended to be a Pennsylvania Plan, not the "property" of any one institution or group.
III. Guiding Principles
In developing and implementing a comprehensive plan for abandoned mine reclamation, the resources (both human and financial) of the participants must be coordinated to insure cost-effective results. In addition, resources are limited requiring priorities to be set. The following set of principles are intended to guide (nothing is absolute) decision making.
- Partnerships between the DEP, watershed associations, local governments, environmental groups, other state agencies, federal agencies and other groups organized to reclaim abandoned mine lands are essential to achieving reclamation and abating acid mine drainage in an efficient and effective manner.
- Partnerships between AML interests and active mine operators are important and essential in reclaiming abandoned mine lands.
- Preferential consideration for the development of AML reclamation or AMD abatement projects will be given to watersheds or areas for which there is an approved rehabilitation plan. (See Appendix B)
- Preferential consideration for the use of designated reclamation moneys will be given to projects that have obtained others sources or means to partially fund the project or to projects that need the funds to match other sources of funds.
- Preferential consideration for the use of available moneys from federal and other sources will be given to projects where there are institutional arrangements for any necessary long-term operation and maintenance costs.
- Preferential consideration for the use of available moneys from federal and other sources will be given to projects that have the greatest worth.
- Preferential consideration for the development of AML projects will be given to AML problems that impact people over those that impact property.
- No plan is an absolute; occasional deviations are to be expected.
IV. Goals
In addition to the principles that will be used to guide decision making, specific goals to be achieved by the comprehensive plan are set forth below. These goals are to be reviewed, modified, expanded or changed when necessary to insure the goals meet the needs of the time.
- To focus expenditures for the reclamation abandoned mine lands on maximizing benefits;
- To develop partnerships involving local citizens, local government and other groups that promote abandoned mine reclamation;
- To develop long-term funding sources that would allow for long-term planning and long-term funding commitments;
- To develop an areal approach to reclamation planning that will result in reclamation and rehabilitation of an entire geographical area;
- To encourage the development and use of innovative technologies that reduce the cost of reclamation;
- To coordinate the activities of the Abandoned Mine Land program with the Mine Regulatory program so that active mine operators are encouraged to remine and reclaim where possible; and
- To insure that property owners who allow the use of their lands for long-term treatment of abandoned mine drainage are not subject to personal or environmental liabilities because of the projects.
V. Plan Elements
A. Inventory of Abandoned Mine Land Problems
In order to develop a comprehensive reclamation plan, the size and scope of the abandoned mine problem must be understood. Over the years, many surveys have been done to inventory the problem and measure its impact. Operation Scarlift developed an inventory of AMD problems on selected watersheds. The Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation maintains an "Abandoned Mine Land" inventory that was developed in the early 80s under SMCRA but has not been adequately updated over the entire state. This inventory contains an extensive list and assessment of abandoned mine lands problems and serves as the basis for OSM approval of Title IV grant expenditures. The inventory, while fairly comprehensive regarding health and safety problems, does not contain a complete list of acid mine drainage problems nor a complete assessment of water supply restoration needs.
The inventory is currently maintained on a mainframe computer but is not geographically based. So, information cannot be removed from the system in a user friendly manner. This inefficiency costs time and money and is a Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation priority for enhancement.
Local groups including watershed associations, conservation districts and others have been collecting data on abandoned mine lands problems for many years. These data are extremely important in defining the scope of the problem and needs to become part of the statewide inventory.
To support comprehensive planning, a Geographical Information System is needed to store and retrieve information in an efficient, useful manner. Such a system should be available to all who are involved in addressing AML problems.
B. An Areal Approach to AML Reclamation
The reclamation and rehabilitation of abandoned mine lands needs to focus on geographical areas that contain abandoned mine land problems. These can be watersheds, political units, geologic units or other areal measures. The geographical focus will allow the restoration of an entire area rather than at scattered individual sites. Some common areas for this focus would include:
- Watersheds
The use of a watershed as an areal boundary is appropriate when the major problem is the pollution of the watershed by drainage from abandoned mines. In determining if a watershed should be given attention, the following criteria should be considered:
- The potential for water quality improvement in the watershed;
- The potential for a state / federal / local partnership;
- The existence of funding from other sources;
- The potential for remining in the watershed; and
- The potential uses for the watershed.
Watersheds meeting the criteria would be ripe for the development of a watershed rehabilitation plan.
- Areas experiencing loss or contamination of domestic water supplies.
The use of water company service areas as an areal boundary is appropriate when many residents are experiencing water loss or contamination due to past mining. The following criteria will be used to select water supply development projects.
- The public health concerns where there is a lack of potable water;
- The number of household involved;
- The availability of an approved source of water;
- An agreement by local government or public utility to assume operation and maintenance costs;
- Lack of a feasible alternative; and
- Cost per household.
- Other areas for focus
The reclamation of surface mined lands should also be addressed on an areal basis. In determining if an area should be selected, the following should be considered.
- Areas that are adjacent to or support public recreational areas;
- Areas that protect or enhance public water supply sources;
- Areas where past mining activities create an immediate threat to public health or safety (mine fires, mine subsidence, mine wastes);
- Areas designated by other state or federal agencies where mine reclamation would contribute to overall improvements to the area;
- Areas adjacent to or part of other areas which are undergoing non-mine related environmental enhancements;
- Areas adjacent to remining areas; and
- Groundwater recharge areas.
An areal focus, however, cannot be an absolute. There will need to be some flexibility to address site specific, high profile problems as they arise.
C. Institutional Partnerships
As discussed earlier, the magnitude of the abandoned mine land problem in Pennsylvania is greater than any one institution can address in the foreseeable future. Therefore, partnerships among public and private institutions are essential to accomplishing the goals of this comprehensive plan.
Partnerships can develop at any phase in the planning process. The leadership role among the partners is the most important decision the partners must make. The earlier partners establish a leader and define their individual roles, the more effective they will be. For the most part, leadership should lie with a local organization where there is strong, local support and commitment to long-term solutions.
There is no formula for developing partnerships. Most likely a single institution will become interested in an area and bring other institutions into a partnership as needs and interest arise.
D. The Rehabilitation Plan.
The Rehabilitation Plan is the foundation upon which reclamation projects are to be developed and approved. The focus of the Rehabilitation Plan will depend on the problems being addressed When dealing with water pollution problems, the Rehabilitation Plan must identify all of the environmental problems within the area not just those related to mining. Alternative solutions to the mining related problems must be identified including a cost estimate for each alternative. For non-mining related problems, the status of clean-up efforts must be discussed and/or referrals made to the appropriate regulatory body.
When dealing with water supply problems, the Rehabilitation Plan must identify all the water loss or contamination problems within the defined area. Alternatives for addressing those problems must be discussed. Similarly, for other areal designations, the reason for making the designation must be fully addressed.
The development of the rehabilitation plan should be done under the leadership of the institutional partners. Realistically, the plan will undergo several iterations as the partners bring their individual needs into the process. Over time, the plan will evolve into a comprehensive framework for addressing the abandoned mine land problem.
The implementation of the plan must be discussed in detail including the extent to which each of the partners will contribute to the implementation. A proposal for financing the plan and time schedule for implementation should be included. The outline for a Rehabilitation Plan is attached as Appendix A.
Appendix A - A Rehabilitation Plan for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, June 1997
Appendix B - Criteria for Assessing a Rehabilitation Plan, June 1997, revised June 1998
Appendix C - Criteria for Project Selection, June 1997, revised June 1998, updated August 2004
Appendix D - Transitioning to Pennsylvania's Comprehensive Plan for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, June 1997
Appendix E - Guideline to Award Abandoned Mine Reclamation Grants, June 1998
