In the News

.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright this week said no one knows the full extent of the problem – that’s why an investigation is needed.

That’s why Cartwright, D-Moosic, and leaders from coal-impacted communities are strongly backing the call from members of Congress for a federal investigation into the full extent of the damage caused by the coal industry’s failure to adequately clean up its mines.

Letters from eight members of Congress to the federal Government Accountability Office formally requested a complete analysis of the “extent to which operators are avoiding mine reclamation” — an investigation that advocates say is an essential step in solving the crisis created by coal companies dodging their legal liability to clean up mines after production is halted.

But, Cartwright said according to a report from Appalachian Voices, at least 119,000 acres of coal mines in Pennsylvania require clean up, and the total amount of available bonds put down by coal companies would only cover 56-65% of reclamation liability in the state in the event that the companies aren’t able to pay.

”We’re asking for this investigation because, right now, nobody knows the full scope of the damage these abandoned mines are doing to our communities and our local economy. Too many former coal operators have left behind a mess for taxpayers in Northeast Pennsylvania to clean up. These shuttered mines are liabilities that pollute our lands and our water and hold back economic growth.”

Cartwright said people in Northeast Pennsylvania deserve to know the full extent of this problem.