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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 22, 2014 12:01 PM |
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| From: | Representative Jaret Gibbons and Rep. Doyle Heffley |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Waste Coal Energy and Reclamation Tax Credit |
| In the near future, we will be introducing companion legislation to Senator Don White’s Waste Coal Energy and Reclamation Tax Credit legislation. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, coal mining management practices before the late 1970s often resulted in numerous environmental damages, including: mine fires, mine substance and coal refuse, dangerous highwalls, open shafts and portals, as well as mining-impacted water, land and air pollution. In accordance with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining, the Bureau’s Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation program has made significant progress in cleaning up these sites. Despite these efforts, mine reclamation remains an overwhelming task and one that is largely underfunded by the federal government. In Pennsylvania, the coal refuse to alternative energy industry is helping to address this serious issue. Industry partners convert coal refuse from both past and current mining activities to electricity for residents and businesses across the Commonwealth. During this process, coal refuse stockpiles are removed from land and the ash byproduct generated during the conversion is utilized as a viable resource. The industry creates a clean, alternative energy source and provides thousands of jobs statewide, while also contributing to the cleanup and reclamation of abandoned mine lands and waterways. Unfortunately, power plants that use coal waste are facing tough economic challenges as a result of a volatile and depressed energy market, as well as substantial maintenance costs that are attributed to the type of the waste fuel they use. To address these issues, our legislation – a companion bill to legislation being sponsored by Senator Don White – would establish a waste coal energy and reclamation tax credit to ensure the future viability of this important industry and to provide much needed supplemental assistance in Pennsylvania’s efforts to clean up and reclaim abandoned mine damaged lands and waterways. Specifically, our legislation will include the following:
Please join us in bolstering support for mine reclamation efforts in the Commonwealth by cosponsoring this important legislation. |
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| View Attachment | ||
Introduced as HB2265