communities when the mines are exhausted; and
WHEREAS, Abandoned mine lands ruin sites for further
residential, forestry, commercial or agricultural uses and
threaten the human health and safety of people living in our
coal field communities; and
WHEREAS, The estimated cost of Pennsylvania's abandoned mine-
related cleanup is $15 billion; and
WHEREAS, Reclamation of abandoned mine sites can add to the
economy by creating jobs, increasing community pride, increasing
property values, decreasing stress-related costs through stream-
based recreation, restoring the health of the environment and
providing future sites for commercial and industrial endeavors;
and
WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States enacted the
Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund under Title IV of the Surface
Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), which
reclaimed areas abandoned before 1977 and established the modern
environmental standards requiring mine operators to reclaim
their sites; and
WHEREAS, The SMCRA imposed on coal operators a fee of 35¢ per
ton on surface mined coal, 15¢ per ton on deep mined coal and
10¢ per ton on mined lignite to provide a source of revenue for
the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund; and
WHEREAS, The scope of the abandoned mine problem continues to
outpace available resources; and
WHEREAS, In 2006 Congress reauthorized the SMCRA, which
extended fee collection through 2021, increased the set-aside
for acid mine drainage from 10% to 30% and provided for
mandatory distribution of abandoned mine lands money; and
WHEREAS, The Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund is not derived
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