by Anthony Hennen
Pennsylvania and other states will split about $11 billion to fund Acid Mine Land reclamation, and a proposed congressional bill would allow that money to fund treatment projects for Acid Mine Drainage, which affects rivers and waterways.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat, introduced the STREAM Act which expands how states can use AML funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Job Act. States would be able to approve projects to treat drainage that contaminates waterways and has long-term impacts, in addition to reclaiming formerly mined land.
“Addressing acid mine drainage remains out of reach for many states, representing a significant financial burden due to the high, ongoing costs associated with operating and maintaining AMD treatment facilities,” Casey said in a press release. “Without the certainty that funding will be available to cover these long-term costs, states will be unlikely to make the necessary investments to restore our vital waterways. This legislation will provide financial certainty for states.”
In Pennsylvania, acid mine drainage isn’t a small issue.
“There are over 5,500 miles of streams in the state with impaired water quality due to runoff from abandoned mines,” noted Gregory Lenahan, deputy digital director at the Department of Environmental Protection. “The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission estimates an annual loss of $29 million in angler-generated revenue alone.”
The majority of funding for AML projects comes from fees levied on coal extraction. Since 1980, Pennsylvania has received about $1.5 billion for reclamation projects, according to the Department of Environmental Protection. For projects spanning 2021-23, the Commonwealth received $27 million, and in recent years has received an additional $25 million thanks to a pilot program.
The $11.3 billion in federal funding is a big step up.
“It’s more money than will be spent on AML reclamation in the last 45 years, so it’s a huge amount of money,” said Rebecca Shelton, director of policy and organization for the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, which endorsed the legislation. “It’s pretty transformative for a lot of our regions.”
Without the STREAM Act’s additional flexibility in how AML funds can be spent, states may ignore the problem.
“States are fairly often balancing what they put in a set-aside account with all the other high-priority sites they need to be addressing,” Shelton said. “If we don’t have these set-aside accounts, we are going to be probably disincentivizing states to invest in new acid mine drainage treatment facilities.”
– – –
Anthony Hennen is a reporter for The Center Square. Previously, he worked for Philadelphia Weekly and the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. He is managing editor of Expatalachians, a journalism project focused on the Appalachian region.
Photo “Acid Mine Drainage” by Jack Pearce. CC BY-SA 2.0.
_(13670890375).jpg){kind=link}