The federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Monday recognized state and tribal abandoned mine land programs and mine operators who have innovated and performed notable reclamation of surface coal mines.

Two Pennsylvania projects were recognized by OSM—

-- Mather Coal Refuse Pile in Morgan Township, Greene County. (Photo) Thanks to the efforts of DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, land that was once the site of a coal mining community that employed over 600 miners and site of a massive refuse pile, can now support hiking, soccer, baseball and picnics, recreational activities that were once unimaginable for Mather and Greene County residents.   Click Here for more information.

-- Northampton Fuels Supply Company, Nanticoke, Luzerne County. This company accepted the liability of reclaiming a 70-year old abandoned mine site that contained a pile of waste coal almost 700 feet high. It removed low-BTU coal that was polluting the air and a nearby watershed and refined it to the point where it was feasible to burn for electric power generation, then regraded the mine site to make it suitable for commercial and industrial development. The removal of more than a million tons of waste saved the state millions in AML funding while also providing the potential for future jobs in the small town.

Click Here for the complete awards announcement.  Click Here to watch an OSM video on the award winners.

Related Stories:

DEP’s Eric Cavazza Receives National Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Award

Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Restoration Hosts 2 AmeriCorps Members

Op-Ed: Federal RECLAIM Act Can Help In Reshaping Northeast PA’s Economy

10/3/2016