Gov. Tom Corbett Friday announced the Commonwealth Financing Authority approved $5.2 million in funding to support 12 abandoned mine drainage abatement and treatment projects throughout Pennsylvania.
The funds were a part of the $28.5 million made available over the past two years to fund six Marcellus Legacy Fund programs administered by the Commonwealth Financing Authority.
“We established these programs to ensure a portion of the funds collected goes back to local communities to support environmental enhancement and conservation programs,” said Corbett. “The first round of funding will provide more than $5.2 million to remediate abandoned mine sites and clean our streams.”
The Abandoned Mine Drainage Abatement and Treatment Program provides grants for projects which involve the reclamation of abandoned mine lands to treat AMD, new AMD site remediation and the repair of existing AMD project sites.
The program also supports the operation and maintenance of current AMD remediation sites through the establishment of a trust fund to ensure ongoing maintenance and monitoring of water quality is achieved.
The 12 approved AMD abatement and treatment projects are located in Allegheny, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Jefferson, Indiana, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Somerset, Venango, Tioga and Westmoreland counties.
In addition to the AMD Abatement and Treatment program, the CFA also approved five additional programs under the Marcellus Legacy Fund, which include Watershed Restoration and Protection, Water Quality Data, Greenways, Trails and Recreation, Orphan or Abandoned Well Plugging and Flood Mitigation programs.
Act 13, which Corbett signed into law in 2012, authorized counties to impose an impact fee on unconventional natural gas wells.
To date, the fee has generated more than $400 million that is benefitting every Pennsylvanian. The majority of the revenues are distributed to local governments where drilling is taking place, with the remainder of the money used for statewide initiatives.
The programs are administered jointly by the Department of Community and Economic Development, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Department of Environmental Protection, under the direction of the CFA.
Click Here for a list of Act 13-funded projects under these programs.
