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[Pages H3097-H3098]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECLAIMING ABANDONED MINE LANDS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring
awareness to our Nation's abandoned mine lands.
Our abandoned mine lands desperately need to be reclaimed to prevent
harm to our communities and to our environment. When these sites are
cleaned up and mines reclaimed, it improves the quality of our air,
soil, and water.
Pennsylvania has more abandoned mine sites than any other State in
the country. In fact, my district, Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional
District, has more abandoned mine sites than each of the remaining 434
congressional districts combined.
This past September, my Democratic colleague from Pennsylvania's
Eighth Congressional District, Matt Cartwright, joined me to introduce
H.R. 4248, the Abandoned Mine Land Reauthorization Act.
The abandoned mine land trust fund is set to expire in September
2021, and this bill will not only reauthorize the fund for the next 15
years but help spur economic growth in coal communities impacted by
mine closures.
For more than 40 years, this program has properly closed more than
46,000 open mine portals. To continue this momentum, the AML trust fund
must be reauthorized.
There is still work to be done.
This past month, I had the pleasure of visiting the Anderson Creek
watershed in Clearfield County. Reed Johnson, a constituent of mine who
has owned property in that area for 30 years, has been working
tirelessly ever since to clean up the abandoned mine site on that
property.
Mr. Speaker, what was mined on that site was clay, and it was clay
that was made to manufacture kiln bricks, the kiln bricks that were
used to produce the steel that allowed the industrial revolution to
occur and allowed us to provide the arsenal of democracy to win World
War I and World War II. But we have a legacy that we need to clean up
there.
During that visit, Reed welcomed me, as well as State and local
officials, for a tour of the property. One of the other attendees was
Clearfield County Conservation District's Watershed Specialist Kelly
Williams.
The impact of abandoned mine lands on our environment is obvious, but
there are community and economic considerations as well. Ms. Williams
underscored the impact that abandoned mine lands have, not only on the
environment, but on our communities as a whole.
Outdoor recreation is very popular in the area, specifically, boating
and fishing. When abandoned mine lands are left untouched for too long,
they have
[[Page H3098]]
an incredibly damaging impact on local waterways.
When outdoor recreation is a big part of the local economy, our
communities feel that financial loss. Ms. Williams estimated that
Clearfield County could lose as much as $3 million a year due to this
impact.
Reed continues to work to raise awareness about abandoned mine lands.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says the
project would take years to finish, but I know Reed won't stop
fighting.
In the meantime, Congress needs to reauthorize the AML trust fund to
ensure abandoned mine land sites are reclaimed, our environment is
protected, and our communities are safe.
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