Santorum Pushing Abandoned Mines Bill

[Judi Lynn]

July 26, 2006, 1:53PM
Santorum Pushing Abandoned Mines Bill


By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, a Republican, is pushing to add stalled abandoned mine cleanup legislation to a pending pension-overhaul bill.

The mining legislation would reauthorize a 1977 law that charges coal producers a per-ton fee to fund the cleanup of abandoned mines. Congress has approved several short-term extensions for the law, which has been caught in a battle between Wyoming and East Coast states for several years.

As the nation's top coal producer, Wyoming is the biggest contributor to the federal cleanup fund and gets the most money from it. But Eastern states like Pennsylvania have declining coal production and the most abandoned mine land. They say they need money for reclamation of mines that are long abandoned.

West Virginia, the nation's second largest coal producer, has a backlog of about 733 sites that pose a threat to the health, safety or general welfare of nearby residents. Reclamation of those sites is expected to cost about $740 million. There is another $460 million worth of lower priority projects still pending in West Virginia, which has spent $323 million to reclaim 323 sites since 1978.
(snip/...)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4073866.html

[Joanne98]

1. The miners better read the fine print.

[Ezlivin]

2. Push Santorum Into an Abandoned Mine

That would make an excellent video game, don't you think?

[Freedomofspeech]

6. Thanks for a great idea.....

Many of us here in Western PA, would be happy to help!!!

[WCGreen]

3. I remember climbing into old abandon mines back in the

60's....

In PA...

Behind my grandma's house...

[achtung_circus]

4. Mr. Pretzeldent, we must not allow a mine gap!

[underpants]

5. Sounds like a susidy for mines, probably non-union ones

It has Santorum stain on it

[struggle4progress]

7. See Ricky apparently grow a conscience three months before an election.

Political scientists say that this is an irregular and short-lived phenomenon.

[WhiteTara]

8. more like a new angle n/t