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As many readers are aware, this spring will mark the 20th anniversary of "Earth Day." And in fact, of course, plans are well underway for "Earth Day '90." I'm pleased that one of the programs that I chair — the Abandoned Mined Lands Reclamation Council — has for many years brought a pronounced focus to abating the environmental problems left in the wake of the mining activity that took place before August 1977. Through our work we've been able to address, for example, such environmental aspects of abandoned mines as sedimentation and acid drainage. And it is satisfying to know that this year we can continue our important work because of a grant we just received in mid-February to continue to clean up sites. Specifically, we received $9.9 million from the federal Office of Surface Mining to address problems at 36 Illinois mines. In total, these mines encompass 831 acres of land around the state. Just where are they located? These targeted areas are listed in the sidebar. As mentioned, the money will be used to restore land and water adversely affected by old mines. Too, there are safety hazards that need attention, such as mine openings and dilapidated mining equipment. Incidentally, this grant is unique because it marks the first time that Illinois will be able to address safety hazards at non-coal mines such as lead and fluorspar. It was just last year that the state enacted a law whereby the Reclamation Council can expend up to 2% of its budget to correct hazards (typically open shafts) at non-coal mines. About $225,000 has been set aside to reclaim 13 lead and fluorspar mines in Harding and Pope Counties this year. I would also like to point out that none of this money is state money. Rather, funding for the reclamation program comes from production fees on active coal March 1990 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 11 operators. The federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and enforcement collects 35 cents for every ton of surface-mined coal and 15 cents per ton of underground-mined coal extracted in Illinois. Portions of these monies are then returned to the state for abandoned mine reclamation. To date, Illinois has contributed nearly $163 million and has received $100 million for its reclamation program. •
Page 12 / Illinois Municipal Review / March 1990 |
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