PRINTER'S NO. 1004
No. 38 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY MUSTO AND MADIGAN, APRIL 15, 1997
REFERRED TO INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, APRIL 15, 1997
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the President of the United States and Congress to make
2 the more than $1 billion of Federal moneys already earmarked
3 for abandoned mine reclamation available to states.
4 WHEREAS, The biggest water pollution problem facing this
5 Commonwealth today is polluted water draining from abandoned
6 coal mines; and
7 WHEREAS, Over half the streams that do not meet water quality
8 standards in this Commonwealth are affected by mine drainage;
9 and
10 WHEREAS, This Commonwealth has over 250,000 acres of
11 abandoned mine lands, refuse banks and old mine shafts in 45 of
12 Pennsylvania's 67 counties, more than any other state in the
13 nation; and
14 WHEREAS, The Department of Environmental Protection estimates
15 it will cost more than $15 billion to reclaim and restore
16 abandoned mine lands; and
17 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth now receives about $20 million a
18 year from the Federal Government to do reclamation projects; and
1 WHEREAS, There is now a $1 billion balance in the Federal
2 Abandoned Mine Reclamation Trust Fund that is set aside by law
3 to take care of pollution and safety problems caused by old coal
4 mines; and
5 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is the fourth largest coal producing
6 state in the nation, and coal operators contribute significantly
7 to the fund by paying a special fee for each ton of coal they
8 mine; and
9 WHEREAS, The Department of Environmental Protection and 39
10 county conservation districts through the Western and Eastern
11 Pennsylvania Coalitions for Abandoned Mine Reclamation have
12 worked as partners to improve the effectiveness of mine
13 reclamation programs; and
14 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania has been working with the Interstate
15 Mining Compact Commission, the National Association of Abandoned
16 Mine Land Programs and other states to free more of these funds
17 to clean up abandoned mine lands; and
18 WHEREAS, Making more funds available to states for abandoned
19 mine reclamation should preserve the interest revenues now being
20 made available for the United Mine Workers Combined Benefit
21 Fund; and
22 WHEREAS, The Federal Office of Surface Mining, the United
23 States Environmental Protection Agency and Congress have not
24 agreed to make more funds available to states for abandoned mine
25 reclamation; therefore be it
26 RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania urge the President
27 of the United States and Congress make the $1 billion of Federal
28 moneys already earmarked for abandoned mine land reclamation
29 available to states to clean up and make safe our abandoned mine
30 lands; and be it further
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1 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
2 the President of the United States, to the presiding officers of
3 each house of Congress and to each member of Congress.
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