DEP's Scott Roberts Earns Mayfly Award

The Pennsylvania Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference’s coveted “Mayfly Award” recognizes individuals who have dedicated a lifetime of knowledge and expertise to the reclamation of abandoned mines in Pennsylvania.
This year’s recipient is Deputy Secretary for Mineral Resources Management, Scott Roberts from the Department of Environmental Protection. It is safe to say that everyone in the AMR community knows Scott Roberts’ name and there is reason for that.
“Early on he recognized the value of working with watershed groups to help reclaim abandoned mines and treat mine water”, says former DEP Secretary David Hess. Secretary Hess goes on to say, “Scott helped to oversee programs that from 1995 to 2003 reclaimed over 33,000 acres of abandoned mined lands, more than at any other time in the state’s history.”
Scott's contributions to the AMR community doesn't stop there.
He was instrumental in gaining Congressional approval in 2006 for the extension of the federal Abandoned Mine Reclamation fee that will, over 15 years, provide over $1 billion to Pennsylvania for mine reclamation efforts. He played a critical, behind-the-scenes, role in helping rescue the 9 miners trapped in the Quecreek Mine in Somerset County in 2002.
In his executive management position, Roberts’ oversees five program areas, encompassing 555 employees, with an annual operating budget of $110 million. The Bureau of Mineral Resources Management is responsible for developing and implementing Pennsylvania ’s policies and programs for surface and underground coal and industrial mineral mining, oil and gas exploration and production, mine safety and the reclamation of abandoned mines and wells.
The direct economic impact of these programs in Pennsylvania exceeds $2 billion annually.
Beyond all that, Roberts’ is an extremely personable, knowledgeable, respected, and worthy candidate for the PA AMR’s Conference committee’s prestigious award.
The Mayfly Award was presented to Roberts aboard the River Boat Cruise as part of the 2010 Joint Mining Reclamation Conference.