1Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Anthracite Region
2Independent Power Producers Association (ARIPPA) and
3designating the week of August 18 through 24, 2014, as
4"ARIPPA – 25 Years of Producing Environmentally Beneficial
5Alternative Energy - Recognition Week" in Pennsylvania.

6WHEREAS, More than two billion tons of coal refuse sit on
7piles across this Commonwealth, resulting in Acid Mine Drainage
8(AMD), which is the largest source of water pollution in this
9Commonwealth, degrading 5,500 miles of rivers and streams; and

10WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation
11estimates the cost to eliminate these problems that are
12associated with abandoned mines and to complete the cleanup of
13abandoned mine land and AMD sites in this Commonwealth is
14approximately $14.6 billion of taxpayer funds and will take
15nearly 500 years; and

16WHEREAS, In 1989, the Anthracite Region Independent Power
17Producers Association (ARIPPA) was organized as a nonprofit
18trade association; and

19WHEREAS, ARIPPA represents Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB)

1electric generating plants that utilize coal refuse to produce
2alternative energy; and

3WHEREAS, CFB plants remove coal refuse from abandoned mine
4land areas, convert it into alternative energy and beneficially
5utilize CFB ash to restore formerly damaged areas back to their
6natural state, without any expenditure of tax dollars; and

7WHEREAS, ARIPPA plant members have collectively removed and
8converted over 212 million tons of coal refuse into alternative
9energy, according to ARIPPA estimates; and

10WHEREAS, ARIPPA plant members have reclaimed thousands of
11acres of formerly environmentally damaged, mine-scarred lands;
12and

13WHEREAS, ARIPPA plant members have restored hundreds of miles
14of formerly dead and polluted streams; and

15WHEREAS, ARIPPA plant members have eliminated public safety
16hazards, including hundreds of uncontrollably burning coal
17refuse fires emitting ground-level pollutants; and

18WHEREAS, ARIPPA plant members annually produce approximately
191,400 MGWs of alternative energy and steam; and

20WHEREAS, ARIPPA plant members have employed directly and
21indirectly thousands of citizens; and

22WHEREAS, ARIPPA plant members have donated thousands of
23dollars to various volunteer watershed and conservation groups
24performing abandoned mine land and AMD remediation; and

25WHEREAS, These achievements of the industry, both
26environmental and economic, deserve recognition by the
27Commonwealth; therefore be it

28RESOLVED, That the Senate celebrate the 25th anniversary of
29the Anthracite Region Independent Power Producers Association
30(ARIPPA) and the efforts of its plant members in producing

1environmentally beneficial alternative energy; and be it further

2RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the week of August 18
3through 24, 2014, as "ARIPPA – 25 Years of Producing
4Environmentally Beneficial Alternative Energy - Recognition
5Week" in Pennsylvania.