Apr. 1—HANOVER TWP. — When it comes to abandoned coal mine lands, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey on Monday said Pennsylvania has more than most states.
“So I don’t have to tell you what projects like this mean to this area,” said Casey, D-Scranton. “As you look around, you can see quite a view here.”
Casey was in Hanover Township on Monday to announce federal funding to reclaim and restore land impacted by coal mining in Luzerne County.
“With funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, $1,354,600 will be used for the Nanticoke Creek restoration project,” Casey said. “This new funding follows the $244 million Pennsylvania has already received from the infrastructure law.”
Casey said Pennsylvania has already received $270 million for abandoned mine land cleanup — including $244 million from the Casey-backed infrastructure law.
According to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley, who attended the news conference, Pennsylvania leads the nation with $5.1 billion of abandoned mine damaged land.
“To put that into perspective, West Virginia is number two, and they have $2.3 billion in liabilities,” Shirley said.
Casey said President Joe Biden’s federal infrastructure bill provided $3.7 billion for Pennsylvania over the next 15 years to reclaim abandoned mine land.
Terence J. Ostrowski, president/CEO at Earth Conservancy, attended the news conference. He and Elizabeth W. Hughes, director of communications, explained the scope of the Nanticoke Creek restoration project.
Located in the City of Nanticoke, Hanover and Newport townships, and Warrior Run Borough, the Nanticoke Creek watershed is a sub-watershed of the Susquehanna River Basin. Over the past several years, Earth Conservancy has worked with a team of consultants and agencies to develop a comprehensive plan to restore the historic alignment of the upper portions of the Nanticoke Creek.
Ostrowski and Hughes said work will begin near Clarks Cross Road and progress upstream, addressing impairments…
