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U.S. Rep. Cartwright authors two bills to help coal mining communities

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) introduced two bills in Congress that would spur federal funding to reclaim abandoned mine lands.

One is the Abandoned Mine Land Reauthorization Act, introduced along with Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), which reauthorizes the Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund and expands the payments for abandoned coal mine cleanups.

The other is the Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More (RECLAIM) Act, introduced with Rep Hal Rogers (R-KY). This bill accelerates the release of about $1 billion in funds already collected for the Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund for economic revitalization, diversification, and development in economically distressed mining communities. This would be done through the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by coal mining. Cartwright said. Pennsylvania would receive over $300 million of this $1 billion.

“I’m proud to lead the charge to continue and accelerate federal investment in reclaiming abandoned mine lands in Northeastern Pennsylvania and across the country. These resources have helped our area’s environment and economy over the years, but we still have over 300 dangerous and blighted abandoned mine sites that still need to be reclaimed,” Cartwright said at a press conference. “Ensuring this work can continue will fuel the creation of good paying jobs and pave the way for new economic opportunities while revitalizing our lands and cleaning up our waterways.”

Essentially, these two bills provide resources to coal mining communities to allow them to repurpose hazardous mining sites into opportunities for job creation and economic growth.

“Coal powered the United States’ rise to a global superpower, fueled victory in two world wars, and brought our nation into the modern area,” Thompson said. “Despite considerable progress on environmental restoration, the need to clear up abandoned coal mines remains. Reauthorizing the AML fund will assist in cleaning up those sites and have the added benefit of spurring economic development in communities who have been impacted by mine closures. My district has the most abandoned coal mines in the nation, and I’m pleased to join my colleague, Mr. Cartwright, to address this issue that is so important to the Commonwealth.”

The bill is endorsed by Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, Appalachian Voices, Appalshop, BlueGreen Alliance, Center for Coalfield Justice, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Climate Institute, Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Faith in Place Action Fund, Keystone Research Center, Mountain Association, National Wildlife Federation, PennFuture, Sierra Club, and the Wilderness Society, among others.

“We have an excellent window of opportunity right now to reshape regional economies that will reclaim our abandoned mine lands, help to clean up our polluted waterways, and train workers who are in need of employment,” Bobby Hughes, executive director of Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, said. “Clean energy alternative projects like the development of community solar systems, pump hydro storage, and the creation of geothermal mine pool systems to generate electricity, for example, are just a few paths forward that can allow us to capitalize on our blighted landscapes and waterways we have had to live with for decades. Transitioning from the fossil fuel industry to create job opportunities will help to restore the legacy of our country’s abandoned mines.”

Dave Kovaleski

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