Aug. 22 PA Environment Digest Now Available

August 22 PA Environment Digest now available. Click Here to print this Digest.

13th Annual PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference Attended By Well-Known Faces

The PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference has become known as a place for many things; where experts discuss the latest abandoned mine drainage treatment technologies, historians shed light on how the region's coal mining legacy shaped today's culture, and the PA AMR community joins for brainstorming ideas to keep the movement going into the future.
The 2011 conference, celebrating 13 years, was no exception. What made this year's Conference really stand out was the abundance of PA AMR community dignitaries.
Michael Krancer, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary, was the keynote speaker to kick off the Conference. Click here to read one reporter's take on Secretary Krancer's speech.
Joe Pizarchik, the 10th director of the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement and the former DEP Director of Bureau of Mining and Reclamation, spoke during the Conference lunch.
Pizarchik gracefully answered a round of questions about growing concern over the Title IV Set Aside funds and showed great empathy for struggling watershed associations in finding funds for continuing the work they do. Click Here to read more...