Regarding your September 21st article of the proposed Robinson Township waste coal power plant, I must point out the negative views expressed are not representative of the environmental community as a whole.

Many in Pennsylvania's environmental community view waste coal power plants as a key partner in environmental reclamation.

These specialized plants' advanced designs offer two distinct environmental advantages compared to traditional coal-fired power plants.

First, they are inherently the cleanest burning of any type of coal-fired plant, meeting or exceeding the most stringent air quality standards.

Second, the alkaline ash they produce is unlike the ash produced in normal coal-fired plants, making it a valuable material for reclamation of mine-scarred lands. This specific type of ash has received the scrutiny of credible scientific and regulatory investigation and is deemed by DEP as a safe and advantageous reclamation material in their regulatory program.

From a strictly environmental standpoint, waste coal power plants offer more advantages.

No or little new mining is required in acquiring the fuel.

Using waste coal as their fuel, these power plants rid the landscape of eyesores and safety hazards known variously as gob piles, boney piles, slate dumps, culm banks, and slag heaps, all remnants of the unregulated heyday of coal mining.

These man-made mountains of waste have an even more sinister side. Every time it rains, they become prolific producers of toxic acids and metals which pollute our streams, rivers and groundwater, often rendering the water unsuitable for life. The removal of the waste material and the reclamation of the site using the alkaline ash is an excellent way of returning the land to productive use while simultaneously eliminating the water pollution problem.

Alternate methods of reclaiming waste coal piles are generally very expensive and are inferior to removal. If reclaimed at all, it's almost always at taxpayer expense. However, when waste coal is used as fuel, the removal of material and the reclamation of the site is at the expense of the power plant.

With Pennsylvania's huge inventory of abandoned mine problems, having industry share in the reclamation burden saves taxpayers millions of dollars. With limited tax dollars, it allows more land reclamation and water pollution remediation to happen quicker.

If ever there was an example of making lemonade from lemons... this is it.

Bruce Golden, Regional Coordinator
Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation
Donohoe Center
RR 12 Box 202B
Greensburg, PA 15601
www.AMRClearinghouse.org

Formed in 1982 by concerned Conservation Districts, WPCAMR brings together an alliance of 24 County Conservation Districts and cooperative organizations in the bituminous coal region of Western Pennsylvania.

WPCAMR is a non-profit, non-partisan, local, state, federal, and industry partnership dedicated to improving water quality and endorsing the reclamation of abandoned mine lands in their region.