1Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Anthracite Region
2Independent Power Producers Association (ARIPPA) and
3designating the week of August 18 through 24, 2014, as
4"ARIPPA – 25 Years of Producing Environmentally Beneficial
5Alternative Energy - Recognition Week" in Pennsylvania.

6WHEREAS, More than two billion tons of coal refuse sit on
7piles across this Commonwealth, resulting in Acid Mine Drainage
8(AMD), which is the largest source of water pollution in this
9Commonwealth, degrading 5,500 miles of rivers and streams; and

10WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation
11estimates the cost to eliminate these problems that are
12associated with abandoned mines and to complete the cleanup of
13abandoned mine land and AMD sites in this Commonwealth is
14approximately $14.6 billion of taxpayer funds and will take
15nearly 500 years; and

16WHEREAS, In 1989, the Anthracite Region Independent Power

1Producers Association (ARIPPA) was organized as a nonprofit
2trade association; and

3WHEREAS, ARIPPA represents Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB)
4electric generating plants that utilize coal refuse to produce
5alternative energy; and

6WHEREAS, CFB plants remove coal refuse from abandoned mine
7land areas, convert it into alternative energy and beneficially
8utilize CFB ash to restore formerly damaged areas back to their
9natural state, without any expenditure of tax dollars; and

10WHEREAS, ARIPPA plant members have collectively removed and
11converted over 212 million tons of coal refuse into alternative
12energy, according to ARIPPA estimates; and

13WHEREAS, ARIPPA plant members have reclaimed thousands of
14acres of formerly environmentally damaged, mine-scarred lands;
15and

16WHEREAS, ARIPPA plant members have restored hundreds of miles
17of formerly dead and polluted streams; and

18WHEREAS, ARIPPA plant members have eliminated public safety
19hazards, including hundreds of uncontrollably burning coal
20refuse fires emitting ground-level pollutants; and

21WHEREAS, ARIPPA plant members annually produce approximately
221,400 MGWs of alternative energy and steam; and

23WHEREAS, ARIPPA plant members have employed directly and
24indirectly thousands of citizens; and

25WHEREAS, ARIPPA plant members have donated thousands of
26dollars to various volunteer watershed and conservation groups
27performing abandoned mine land and AMD remediation; and

28WHEREAS, These achievements of the industry, both
29environmental and economic, deserve recognition by the
30Commonwealth; therefore be it

1RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives celebrate the
225th anniversary of the Anthracite Region Independent Power
3Producers Association (ARIPPA) and the efforts of its plant
4members in producing environmentally beneficial alternative
5energy; and be it further

6RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
7week of August 18 through 24, 2014, as "ARIPPA – 25 Years of
8Producing Environmentally Beneficial Alternative Energy -
9Recognition Week" in Pennsylvania.