Conference Presentation Abstracts and Biographies
Official Conference Program (PDF)
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Presentations ---- Wednesday ----- Thursday
| Time | Presentation Abstract | Presenter Biography |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 8:45 - 9:30 Plenary . |
Eric E, Cavazza, P.E. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, has been working in cooperation with the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) to develop new guidelines for treating mine drainage and selecting projects for funding in accordance with the requirements of Title IV of the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). SMCRA was reauthorized by Congress in December of 2006, and amendments to the Act allow states like Pennsylvania to potentially focus more abandoned mine land (AML) funds toward mine drainage problems. A draft document entitled: “Mine Drainage Treatability and Project Selection Guidelines” was presented at a focus group meeting held in State College on June 10, 2008. The Department received input from the attendees of that meeting and then provided a written public comment period that expired on July 14, 2008. This presentation will provide an update and a summary of the comments received on the project selection portion of the guidelines. |
Eric E, Cavazza, P.E. has been Acting Division Chief of the PA DEP Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation’s Division of Acid Mine Drainage Abatement (DAMDA) since May 2008. He's Design Section Chief, Cambria District Office, 1993 – 2008 where he manages the design of projects to eliminate health & safety or remediate environmental problems associated with abandoned mining operations throughout the Commonwealth. Mr Cavazza has 24 years service with PA DEP: 9 in Planning and Project Development, 15 as Design Section Chief and the last few months as Acting Chief of Division of Acid Mine Drainage Abatement. He hols a B.S. in Mining Engineering and a M.S. in Environmental Engineering both from Penn State University and is a Registered Professional Engineer. He has provided design oversight for the last two National Reclamation Award winning projects for the Appalachian Region as recognized by the Federal Office of Surface Mining. The Monongahela South No. 1 project to reclaim and stabilize a dangerous highwall immediately adjacent to St. Anthony’s Church and parochial school in the City of Monongahela, Washington County was recognized in 2006, and the Melcroft and Kalp mine dewatering project located in the Indian Creek Watershed in Saltlick Township, Fayette County was recognized in 2007. |
| Tue 9:30 - 10:15 Trk A . |
Optimizing Oxic Limestone-based AMD Treatment Neil Wolfe This presentation provides an update on the ongoing research project “Limestone Upflow Pond Optimization” funded through a DEP Innovative Treatment Grant. Monitoring of existing systems and operation of two pilot-scale (30 ton) treatment systems has produced some very interesting results that will lead to the improvement of oxic limestone-based systems. |
Neil Wolfe has been working on watershed restoration and AMD treatment for 9 years as both a consultant and volunteer. He holds a B.S. degree in Applied Geology from Lock Haven University and was an intern for DEP BAMR. He currently works for Hedin Environmental, Inc. Niel has been a consultant preparing watershed restoration plans and designing treatment systems since 2002. |
| Tue 9:30 - 10:15 Trk B . |
Interbasin Transfer of Minepool Water Dan Sammarco Andrew Dehoff
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Dan Sammarco, P.E. Pennsylvania Dept.of Environmental Protection; Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation; Chief- Planning, Development & AMD Operations Unit B.S., mining engineering from Penn State University; M.B.A., Indiana University of PA; 4 years experience in underground coal mining industry; has over 21 years experience in designing and managing abandoned mine reclamation type projects including passive and active acid mine drainage projects . Andrew Dehoff |
| Tue 10:45 - 11:30 Trk A . |
The Kalp and Melcroft AMD Abatement Projects Richard Beam, P.E. The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (PADEP BAMR), the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Mountain Watershed Association, Inc. (MWA), a local grassroots group, completed phase I of an innovative mine drainage abatement project. The project involved two abandoned underground mine sites that exhibit significant water quality and public health and safety problems. Remediation efforts at both sites relied on in-seam directional drilling to facilitate control of the mine pools and collection of the mine discharges. Directional drilling is used extensively in underground mining applications; however, this was the first time that this approach was used on a Pennsylvania AML site to convey and control abandoned mine pool discharges. In-seam directional drilling relocated the current discharges to areas proximal to the proposed (phase 2) treatment systems. Approximately 30 feet of mine pool hydraulic head was gradually and permanently removed at both project sites. Directional drilling provided both a mechanism to address and reduce the blowout potential along with providing a lower cost and minimal disturbance alternative to the construction of overland mine drainage pipelines that would be required in order to route the existing discharges to the treatment areas. Overland pipelines from the current discharge locations would not lower the head in the mines and would result in substantially increased disturbance to properties, homes and public roads located between the discharge areas and the treatment system locations. An overland pipeline would also have required partial dewatering of the mine pools during construction in order to gain access and to stabilize the current discharge locations. |
Richard Beam is a licensed professional geologist in the Environmental Services Section of the Cambria District Office of the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. His primary duties include the evaluation of abandoned mine sites where mine drainage abatement projects are proposed and preparation or review of watershed studies to determine AMD impacts and potential abatement methods and or site selection. Rich is responsible for the collection and analysis of surface and subsurface geologic and hydrologic information needed for the development and design of reclamation projects. He also provides technical assistance to local organizations with respect to AMD abatement projects. Rich graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown with a B.S. Degree in Geology. He was previously employed, for approximately 3 years, by a Geotechnical Engineering Firm in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and for the past 23 years has worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in both the surface coal mining regulatory program and the abandoned mine land program. ribeam@state.pa.us |
| Tue 10:45 - 11:30 Trk B . |
Brent Means |
Brent Means is a Hydrologist with the U.S. Office of Surface Mining, Pittsburgh Field Division. He has an M.S. in Hydrogeology and a
B.S. in Geology. Formerly he worked for the USGS in South Carolina and in Ohio.
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| Tue 11:30 - 12:15 Trk A . |
Activated Iron Solids and Aeration Approaches for AMD treatment Jon Dietz Widespread deep coal mining has created numerous large underground reservoirs of ferrous iron-laden acidic mine drainage (AMD). These contaminated deep mine reservoirs typically discharge at high volumes (1 to 50 million gallons per day) and at single or multi-point locations. Treatment of the high flow discharges using: 1) conventional chemicals (caustic soda or lime) has high annual costs due to the chemicals, manpower and disposal of the low-density (1-4% solids), impure sludge; and 2) passive treatment requires large land area with uncertain performance and costly sludge removal. Two approaches will be discussed to more effectively treat the high flow discharges including: 1) Activated Iron Solids (AIS) treatment; and 2) mechanical aeration approaches. AIS treatment is a new innovative treatment method to treat iron-laden AMD and involves a self-perpetuating and catalytic surface chemistry sorption/oxidation process in an engineered treatment system. AIS treatment has been successfully proven in: 1) laboratory bench-scale studies; 2) small-scale research flow through units; 3) a demonstration Sequencing Batch Reactor system; and 4) a full-scale trailer AIS pilot system (conducted at four different chemistry AMD sites to date). Mechanical aeration of AMD can aid in treatment by increasing dissolved oxygen and more importantly increase pH through carbon dioxide removal. Important factors in mechanical aeration and gas transport to (dissolved oxygen) and from (carbon dioxide) AMD include: reactor detention time, reactor water depth, air volume delivered, and bubble size (fine versus coarse). |
Jon Dietz has spent more than 20 years in the consulting industry conducting NEPA studies, water quality and aquatic ecology assessments, R&D of innovative technologies, and designing mine drainage treatment systems. Jon returned to Penn State University from the consulting industry and in 2003 received his Doctorate in Environmental Engineering. During his doctorate Jon developed “new” heterogeneous (surface chemistry) ferrous iron sorption & oxidation kinetic models, which he has used to develop the next generation of AMD treatment systems, known as AIS treatment of mine drainage. Jon also conducted research into abiotic manganese oxidation kinetics and alkalinity generation from limestone, based on kinetics and solubility reactions. Over the past 5 years Jon has been developing numerous new AMD treatment technologies to more effectively treat AMD and at lower costs than conventional chemical treatment and approaching passive treatment costs, depending on the AMD chemistry and characteristics. During his professional career Jon has authored and/or co-authored over 50 technical reports, journal articles, proceedings and presentations during his professional career. dietzetal@adelphia.net
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| Tue 11:30 - 12:15 Trk B . |
Alternate Bonding System Primacy Bond Forfeiture Discharges: Treatment Opportunities and Challenges Joseph Pizarchik, Director In 2003 the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) and the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) agreed upon an approach for addressing post mining discharges on primacy sites that were forfeited under the now defunct alternate bonding system (ABS). (The former ABS applied to surface coal mines, coal refuse reprocessing operations, and coal preparation plants.) The ABS primacy bond forfeiture discharges (ABS legacy) were to be addressed in the context of Pennsylvania's over all acid mine drainage (AMD) problem. Abandoned AMD comprises the largest portion of Pennsylvania's AMD. Several groups opposed to this comprehensive strategy challenged it in federal court. The appellate court reversed the lower court dismissal and ruled the ABS legacy sites had to be treated. The court concluded that Pennsylvania had to "demonstrate adequate funding for mine discharge abatement and treatment at all ABS bond forfeiture sites." As a result, PADEP has had to refocus the efforts of the District Mining Offices from a comprehensive solution to treating the ABS legacy. The treatment (abatement is still not technologically available) of the ABS legacy discharges presents near term opportunities that will be available for the long term. There are a variety of obstacles to treating all of the ABS legacy. Some of these discharges present challenges that require the creation of innovative solutions. Many discharges are run of the mill while others will likely appear to some to be exercises in absurdity. For some ABS discharges, the treatment may be worse than the discharge. Learn more about the opportunities available to you and what you can do to help as PADEP addresses the ABS legacy. |
Joseph Pizarchik has been the Director of the Bureau of Mining and Reclamation, Department of Environmental Protection since 2002. Before becoming Director, he served as Assistant Director, Bureau of Regulatory Counsel where he counseled the Pennsylvania mining program for 11 years. Mr. Pizarchik has been with the Department of Environmental Protection since 1991. He was one of the authors of Pennsylvania’s Environmental Good Samaritan Act, provided counsel during the development and implementation of the Good Samaritan program, and now oversees its implementation. He has worked on various mining related statutory and regulatory amendments. Mr. Pizarchik helped develop Pennsylvania’s program for volunteers to clean up abandoned coal refuse sites and helped develop Pennsylvania’s program for mine operator’s to establish trust funds as a means of meeting their financial obligation to ensure funds are available to perpetually treat the discharges caused by their mining. He also worked closely with the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security promulgating regulations for security at explosive storage magazines to prevent unauthorized access to the sites. Mr. Pizarchik represents Pennsylvania at the Interstate Mining Compact Commission, the Mining and Reclamation Advisory Board, and serves as the Secretary of Environmental Protection’s designee on the Mine Subsidence Insurance Board. He has served several times as faculty for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Environmental Law Forum providing continuing legal education training to Pennsylvania lawyers on “Regulatory Takings” and new developments in mining laws and regulations. He has also provided training for the Office of General Counsel’s Continuing Legal Education sessions covering “Original Jurisdiction of the Commonwealth Court” and covering “Water Supply Replacement” under Pennsylvania mining law. He is a past Treasurer of the Conference of Government Mining Attorneys. Prior to serving with the Department of Environmental Protection he was counsel with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for 5 years dealing with contracts, mass transit, aviation, contractor qualifications, superfund and minority business enterprises. He formerly worked in private practice and also for an insurance company. His formal education includes a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Pennsylvania State University. |
| Tue 1:30 - 2:15 Trk A . |
Malcolm Crittenden Instream Limestone Sand Dosing (ILS)can be an inexpensive method to add alkalinity to a stream system. Limestone Sand Dosing of acidified streams has been done with varying success in the Appalachians highlands for the last two decades. West Virginia has a State-run dosing program which has achieved fishery benefits. Results from Pennsylvania's more limited dosing efforts has been mixed. Some Pa. sites such as Glade Run and Miller Run showed fishery improvements due to good planning and long term dosing. Many other Pa. dosing projects "failed" because dosing amounts were underestimated, because dosing was discontinued in the first years, or due to poor site selection. As a result, other (in-stream or side-stream) options which raise stream alkalinity have been advocated which do not typically enjoy the cost-benefits of ILS. The Standard Practices of ILS will be reviewed along with the many site factors which affect results. |
Malcolm Crittenden worked as a surface mine inspector for 26 years and became familiar with the many caused of AMD. At his new job as a DEP Watershed Manager, he assists Watershed Groups appling passive treatment solutions to AMD. His new interest is low-tech, cost efficient methods to AMD treatment such as Instream Sand Dosing, Limestone Ponds, and non-electric lime silos. These low cost approaches can often be deployed to improve native Brook Trout streams in the Allegheny Highlands. mcrittende@state.pa.us |
| Tue 1:30 - 2:15 Trk B . |
ARRI at Jennings Environmental Center David Hamilton The Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI) is a cooperative effort by the States of the Appalachian Region with the Office of Surface Mining to encourage restoration of high quality forests on reclaimed coal mines in the eastern USA. ARRI's goals are to communicate and encourage mine reforestation practices that 1) plant more high-value hardwood trees on reclaimed coal mined lands in Appalachia; 2) increase the survival rates and growth rates of planted trees; and 3) expedite the establishment of forest habitat through natural succession. These goals can be achieved when mines are reclaimed using the Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA). The FRA is a method for reclaiming coal-mined land under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) to forest, and is based on knowledge gained from both scientific research and experience. The FRA is considered by state mining agencies and the Office of Surface Mining to be an appropriate and desirable method for reclaiming coal-mined land to support forested land uses. When mining and reclamation operations are conducted using the FRA, results can include both cost-effective regulatory compliance by the coal operator and productive post mining forests. Productive forests generate value for their owners and provide watershed protection, wildlife habitat, and other environmental services. David Johnson The Jennings Environmental Education Center is a Pa Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, State Park facility with a long history of Mining and watershed educational efforts including various experimental passive treatment systems since 1983. In its role as an education site, Jennings tries to “model” new and innovative techniques in environmental rehabilitation. In the spring of 2008, Jennings, Dave Hamilton from the Office of Surface Mining, and the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition established an experimental model to showcase the ARRI approach to mine reclamation. This program will discuss the initial construction and early success of the project. |
David Hamilton graduated from West Virginia University in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry. David joined the Office of Surface Mining in the summer of 1978, in the former Charleston West Virginia Regional Office. In 1982, he was reassigned to the Harrisburg Pennsylvania Field Office, and has worked in that office since. During his career with OSM, David has worked with many programs including abandoned mine land reclamation, grants, and regulatory program oversight. In recent years, David has served as OSM’s Pennsylvania representative for the Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program (WCAP), and the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI). His work with the WCAP led to his interest in the abatement of coal mine discharges. Through these two programs, David has extensive statewide contacts with watershed restoration groups, dedicated to abatement of the environmental impacts of abandoned coal mine drainage, and coal mining companies and landowners seeking better ways to successfully reforest mined lands. dhamil@osmre.gov David Johnson is the manager of the Jennings Environmental Education Center, a Pa Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, State Park facility in Butler County. He has 35 years of experience working in five state parks and formally worked for the Pa Bureau of Forestry, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. He is a leader in forming public/private partnerships to address solutions to large scale environmental problems, an advocate of constructing publicly accessible “models” of sound resource management techniques, and an active environmental educator. davidjohn@state.pa.us |
| Tue 2:15 - 3:00 Trk A . |
William D. Burgos, Ph.D. Our research has focused on the development of a passive pretreatment technology for acid mine drainage (AMD) discharges that exploits natural biological low-pH Fe(II) oxidation across existing iron mounds. The operation and maintenance of AMD passive treatment systems could be significantly improved if iron oxidation and precipitation were spatially separated from alkalinity addition. We envision a treatment technology that mimics the physical features of natural iron mounds (e.g., shallow sheet flow) where low-pH Fe(II) oxidation has been measured to be most rapid. The enhancement of biological low-pH Fe(II) oxidation could lead to a substantial reduction in dissolved Fe concentrations producing a more acidic but nearly metal-free effluent. This effluent could then be neutralized through a limestone treatment system where hydraulic clogging and iron-“armoring” of the limestone would be minimized. We have studied natural biological low-pH Fe(II) oxidation occurring downstream from three deep-mine discharges in northern and western Pennsylvania. The sites were selected based on differences in Fe(II) oxidation rate and flow rate but also on similarities with respect to geologic and geochemical characteristics. We have conducted several rounds of field sampling to measure water chemistry as a function of distance downstream from the discharge and throughout the year. We have collected sediment samples across these iron mounds for mineralogical (X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy) and microbial characterizations (culture-based enumerations of Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria and nucleic-acid based detection of microbial community members). We have used these sediments for laboratory batch experiments to measure the kinetics of biological low-pH Fe(II) oxidation as a function of O2 and CO2 concentrations. We have found that laboratory-based kinetics were nearly the same for all sites, including those where little Fe(II) oxidation was occurring in the field, even though they contained very different microbial communities. These results suggest that biological low-pH Fe(II) oxidation will occur to varying extents downstream of any low-pH Fe(II)-rich discharge. |
William D. Burgos is Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering at Penn State University. He has recieved both M.S. and Ph.D degrees in Environmental Engineering from then Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University amd a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, also from VPI. His research interests include:
wdb3@psu.edu |
| Tue 2:15 - 3:00 Trk B . |
SMCRA Title IV: Public Comments and DEP Response Sue Wilson Review DEP’s response to key comments received on expenditure of the increased funds that will be available to the Commonwealth for abandoned mine reclamation under the reauthorized Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). A key area of concern is the decision to set aside funds for mine drainage abatement and treatment, and the appropriate level, which must be weighed against the need to restore sites that impact the health and safety of the Commonwealth’s citizens. |
Sue Wilson has been Executive Director of the Citizens Advisory Council to the Department of Environmental Protection since March 1993. The Council was established in 1971, by the law that created the Department, and its 18 appointed members review the work of the Department and key environmental issues facing the Commonwealth. Council worked closely with the Department in conducting the Title IV townhall meetings last year, and has continued to dialog with the Department on key issues. In 27 years of public service with the Commonwealth she also served in various capacities in the Governor’s Office and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University with Bachelor of Science degrees in environmental resource management and biology. She holds an M.S. in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University. |
| Tue 3:30 - 4:15 Trk A . |
An Application of a Hydrologically Networked Watershed Model for Evaluating AMD Treatment Scenarios Michael P. Strager (presenting) , J. Todd Petty, Brady Gutta, Jennifer Fulton, Richard Herd, James Stiles, Julie Svetlik, and Paul Ziemkiewicz A GIS-based decision support system was developed to aid in restoration planning by integrating various chemical and ecological modeling components that the West Virginia Water Research Institute has developed over the past five years. Using the popular GIS platform of ArcMap, computer code was written in Visual Basic .Net environment to develop an extension for GIS to visually illustrate remediation and alternative outcomes. Building upon the existing 1:24,000 segment level or “reachshed” delineation of watersheds for all of WV and a network model to examine pass through issues, the user is able to compare treatment options and locations for building spatially explicit AMD restoration plans. The advantage of the system is its straightforward mass-balance water quality model and logical decision alternative matrix with costs and ecological benefits. It is possible to visually iterate and illustrate outcomes downstream of various treatment/restoration scenarios. The result is a spatially explicit cumulative watershed modeling framework for quantifying stream conditions at multiple scales. |
Dr. Mike Strager is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Resource Management at West Virginia University. He specializes in applying GIS and spatial analysis for natural resource management. He has developed numerous spatial decision support systems to help integrate spatial data with hydrology, water chemistry, economics, and optimization. mstrager@wvu.edu |
| Tue 3:30 - 4:15 Trk B . |
The Stonycreek River Watershed Reassessment Project Amanda Deal and Len Lichvar The Stonycreek River watershed, which encompasses northern Somerset County and a small portion of southern Cambria County, is approximately 470 mi2 in area and flows for 46 miles from its source near Berlin to its mouth at Johnstown. Additionally, the watershed has a long history of mineral extraction with abandoned mine sites leaving a legacy of abandoned mine drainage (AMD) impairment. The current project, funded through a grant provided by the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, is labeled as a reassessment because this project will measure the effects of nearly $10 million in project funding that was allocated after the initial 1997 USGS assessment of AMD discharges within the watershed. As a result of project implementation water chemistry in the Stonycreek River was reversed from net acidic to net alkaline and over fifteen miles of fisheries were restored. The purpose of the current reassessment is to develop a baseline data set and extend the previous study area. Ultimately the goal of the project is to quantify water quality changes, identify new projects, and complete the restoration efforts that began over fifteen years ago. Objectives of the reassessment were to: survey water quality throughout the watershed, implement a bioassessment and biomonitoring program, create a master database complete with GIS layers, and generate a full report and executive summary. Thirty-five sites—seventeen on the main stem of the Stonycreek River and eighteen on major tributaries, were evaluated for physical habitat, water chemistry, and benthic macroinvertebrates. The Somerset Conservation District (SCD) worked in cooperation with many local watershed groups and the PA Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) Bureau of Habitat Management to sample fishes at eighteen sites for use both in the reassessment (for the SCD) and for management purposes (by the PFBC). A stream quality index (SQI) was developed specifically for the reassessment and was used to identify areas of the watershed in greatest need of restoration. Although results suggest that the quality of the Stonycreek River and its tributaries has improved since initial sampling, 18 of the 35 sites sampled were considered severely impacted based on SQI results. Impacted sites in the headwaters were generally poor because of organic and sediment loading and sites further downstream were generally impacted by AMD and physical habitat impairment. Four sites on tributaries had exceptional SQI scores. The results of the reassessment will also be provided to watershed groups as justification for funding requests to implement restoration projects. SlideShow: PowerPoint PDF |
Amanda Deal is the Resource Scientist and Environmental Educator at the Somerset Conservation District and is the Project Manager for the Stonycreek River Watershed Reassessment. She received her B.S. in Environmental Science from Alderson Broaddus College in Philippi, WV and her M.S. in Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology from FrostburgStateUniversity. She is also a member of the Mountain Laurel Chapter of Trout Unlimited in Johnstown. Len Lichvar, of Boswell, holds a degree in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh and is the District Manager for the Somerset Conservation District and a freelance outdoor writer as well as the Outdoors Correspondent for the Somerset Daily American. He serves as the District 4 Commissioner on the Board of Commissioners of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. He also serves as the Chairman of the Stonycreek Conemaugh River Improvement Project, board member and Stream Improvement chairman for the Mountain Laurel Chapter of Trout Unlimited, board member of the Somerset County Conservancy, board member of the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy and board member of the Greater Johnstown Watershed Association. He is also involved in numerous local and state sportsmen’s organizations and civic groups. |
| Tue 4:15 - 5:00 Trk A . |
MINE POOL MAPPING- ANTHRACITE REGION OF PENNSYLVANIA The Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR) is conducting a study of the minepools of the Anthracite Region of Pennsylvania through funding by the Growing Greener program. The main emphasis of this study is on the mine waters of the Western Middle Anthracite Field and the Southern Anthracite Field. EPCAMR is conducting this study in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey and resource economists from the Pennsylvania State University. In addition, EPCAMR has contracted with Ian Palmer and Roger Hornberger to compile data on the water quality and water quantity of the minepools, respectively. A goal of this study is to provide information to promote the reuse of the mine water resources of the Anthracite Region. There are approximately 62 abandoned underground mines (collieries) in the Western Middle Field and approximately 49 collieries in the Southern Field. In 1953, S.H. Ash and associates at the U. S. Bureau of Mines (Bulletin 521) estimated that there was 38 billion gallons of water contained in 58 underground mine water pools in the Western Middle Field. Since some collieries were actively mining and pumping water at that time, there would be an even greater volume of water now that all of the major collieries have ceased pumping and have filled with mine water. Michael Hewitt and Robert Hughes from EPCAMR are taking a geospatial approach to studying these minepools and have constructed numerous layers of GIS data, including the locations of barrier pillars between collieries and flow paths of the minepools. Daniel Goode, Dennis Risser and Charles Cravotta from USGS are constructing a groundwater model of the Western Middle Field that will simulate the effects of present and potential future pumpers of the minepools. This abstract is a progress report on a study that will continue until June 2009, and will provide documentation of the extent of these mine water resources for future users. Hornberger: PowerPoint Leavitt: PowerPoint A PowerPoint B |
Roger Hornberger has a B.S. in Landscape Architecture and a M.S. in Geology from the Pennsylvania State University. He was employed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection from 1978 until retiring in 2006. He worked as a hydrogeologist in the central office of the Bureau of Mining and Reclamation for 9 years, and then was the District Mining Manager of the Pottsville District Office for 19 years. In that job he was responsible for the permitting, inspections, compliance and enforcement of anthracite coal mines and industrial minerals quarries in 32 counties of eastern Pennsylvania. He is currently self employed as a Professional Geologist. rhornberge@state.pa.us Bruce Leavitt has 35 years experience in coal mining and mine hydrogeology. He has worked as a mine engineer, a staff Hydrogeologist for a major coal company, and for the last eight years as a consulting Hydrogeologist in private practice. Recent work has included: a study of the effects of longwall mining on domestic water supplies in Pennsylvania; mapping the extent of mining and mine flooding in the Pittsburgh Coal; The potential use of mine water for power plant cooling; and the potential for in situ treatment of net alkaline mine water.
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| Tue 4:15 - 5:00 Trk B . |
Operations & Maintenance of AMD Treatment Systems Pam Milavec This presentation will provide an update on the current thinking of AMD treatment system Operation, Maintenance and Replacement (OMR). Topics of discussion include the role of the project sponsor and local partners, the role of funding agencies and the current efforts within DEP to provide funding for OMR. |
Pam Milavec is employed by the PA Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation. She works in the Cambria District Office, where she is Environmental Services Section Chief. This Section is responsible for watershed planning and project development of AMD treatment and abatement projects in the bituminous portion of the state. The Section also provides biologic, geologic and environmental services to the Bureau, and assists in monitoring and operation of passive treatment facilities. Pam has been with DEP for nearly 25 years, working also as a water pollution biologist and water quality specialist. She has a B.S. in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. |
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Conference Presentation Abstracts and Biographies
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 Presentations ---- Tuesday----- Thursday
| Time | Presentation Abstract | Presenter Biography |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 8:15 - 9:00 Plenary . |
The Watershed Model is Working for AMR Margaret Dunn, P.G. Mine water is an international problem. While estimates vary, mine drainage from literally thousands of abandoned coal mines severely degrades approximately 4,600 miles of stream in Pennsylvania alone. In order to address this important environmental issue, public-private partnerships initiated by grassroots movements across Pennsylvania involving government, industry, nonprofits and concerned citizens are combining their shared knowledge, skills, and resources to provide the most economic and efficient environmentally-friendly solutions possible. This has been accomplished primarily through land reclamation and the installation of passive treatment systems which generally require significantly less effort to operate and maintain than conventional chemical treatment. Just one example of this approach is the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition (SRWC) which has seen fish return to sections of stream that have not had fish for more than 50 years. Following a brief overview of the positive impact of the SRWC efforts, the audience will be asked to share their own success stories and help illustrate and reaffirm how the watershed model is working to solved abandoned mine issues in Pennsylvania.
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Margaret Dunn has a B.S and M.S in Geology and is a registered Professional Geologist with 30 years of experience in relation to bituminous coal mining, water resource issues, land reclamation, stream restoration, and passive treatment design for the treatment of mine drainage. She is currently the co-founder and President of BioMost, Inc. and founder and President of the nonprofit organization Stream Restoration Incorporated. Margaret is also an original co-founding participant of the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition. For the last decade Margaret has been dedicated to restoring watersheds impacted by Abandoned Mine Lands through land reclamation and the installation of environmentally-friendly passive treatment systems and to providing watershed related educational/outreach opportunities for people of all interest levels. Margaret and her team have been involved the design, construction, and/or Operation and Maintenance of over 40 passive treatment systems. |
| Wed 9:00 - 9:45 Trk A . |
Synopsis of Innovative AMR Materials and Technologies Terry W. Schmidt,P.E. Abandoned Mine Reclamation (AMR) activities often include water treatment. A variety of active and passive methods are currently used for Acid Rock Drainage (ARD) treatment. With the exception of net alkaline discharges, ARD requires the addition of alkalinity to neutralize the water. Limestone products are often the materials of choice for passively treating ARD when site and discharge characteristics are favorable while active treatment commonly uses caustic soda or lime. However, new materials are continually under development to provide treatment alternatives. Examples of these materials include: kiln dust, steel slag, coal combustion byproducts (CCBs), chitin, ViroMine™, and ECOTITE(TM). These materials have demonstrated an ability to perform treatment functions which may include: alkalinity generation, pH increase, and metal adsorption. In addition, new techniques are under development to dispense treatment materials, improve treatment system operation, and reduce manpower needed to perform operation and maintenance of treatment systems. These innovative methods often rely on the natural forces of wind, water, and the sun. Examples include: small scale wind power generation; solar power generation; and low head water power generation. This energy has also been directly used for aeration; water handling; chemical addition; and automated flushing. Innovative materials and technologies may represent the future of AMR and ARD treatment, particularly for the most challenging discharges. |
Terry W. Schmidt,P.E., is Vice President, Engineering, with Skelly and Loy, Inc. Engineers-Environmental Consultants, where he has 20 years service. He operated surface coal mines for W. Schmidt Coal Company for 4 years prior. An active member of the mine reclamation community specializing in the treatment of acid rock drainage (ARD), Mr. Schmidt served as Engineer-In-Charge of numerous ARD assessment and mitigation projects where his responsibilities have ranged from directing the development and implementation of comprehensive field investigations to developing engineering design packages to obtaining necessary permits and overseeing system construction, operation, and maintenance. In addition to his project responsibilities, Mr. Schmidt has published articles on topics of ARD, mining engineering, and stormwater management and has completed presentations on such subjects throughout the United States. In the last several years, Mr. Schmidt has continued to research innovative technologies to restore blighted mine lands and improve mine impacted watersheds. Mr. Schmidt earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Mining Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and is a registered Professional Engineer in six states, including Pennsylvania. |
| Wed 9:45 - 10:30 Trk A . |
Optimizing Resources for Restoring Acid Mine Drainage Impaired Watersheds in WV Richard Herd Todd Petty, Ph.D. The recently reauthorized Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Program provides West Virginia the opportunity to implement a strategic watershed-based approach for restoring waterbodies impaired by historic pre-law mining. Over the next 15 years the West Virginia set aside program will grow from roughly $23 M/year to a range of $60 to $90 M/year. Under this expanded AML program, the WVDEP Office of Abandoned Mine Land and Reclamation has established a goal of maximizing statewide recovery of cold and warm-water fisheries in AMD impaired watersheds. Given that the magnitude of water quality impairment from pre-law mining is too widespread to address in the traditional source by source treatment approach, restoration actions are being prioritized based on producing the greatest ecological and economic benefits per unit cost. In this presentation, we present a process for developing strategic, watershed-based restoration plans in areas heavily impacted by pre-law mining. This process integrates various AMD treatment alternatives into a GIS-based decision support system that quantifies the maximum possible ecological and economic outcomes. We describe an innovative method of representing ecological value of stream segments to create inputs for cost-benefit analysis of various treatment options, and we apply this process to the Three Fork watershed in north central West Virginia. The process presented here can be used to make objective decisions about how to optimize resources to recover AMD impaired watersheds that should be applicable throughout the eastern coal mining region. Herd: PowerPoint Petty: PowerPoint |
Richard Herd is currently Program Coordinator for the Water Research Institute (WRI) and National Mine Land Reclamation Center (NMLRC) at West Virginia University. In this capacity he develops and manages research projects related to the restoration and protection of water resources at the state, regional and national level. His current research interests include: Growing switchgrass on mined lands for biofuel production; nutrient water quality trading, determining the effects of selenium from mined lands on aquatic resources and developing strategic watershed restoration plans. He holds an MS in Biology from Indiana University Of PA (IUP) and an MS in environmental engineering from the University of Virginia. (UVA). Dr. Todd Petty received a BS in Biology from the University of Virginia and an MS and PhD in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia. He is currently an Associate Professor of Aquatic Sciences at West Virginia University where he teaches courses and conducts research in Freshwater Biology and Watershed Ecology and Restoration. Todd also serves as Director of the Watershed Technical Assistance Center, which seeks to facilitate implementation of watershed based approaches to aquatic resource management in the Mid-Atlantic region |
Wed
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Ionic Water Technologies, Inc. Jake Kockler
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Jake Kockler
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| Wed 11:00 - 11:45 Trk A . |
The Industrial Legacy of Wales – From Blight to Asset Steve L Smith Head of Land Reclamation, Wales has pursued a major programme of land reclamation and environmental improvement for almost 40 years, managed until 2006 by the economic regeneration agency for Wales - the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) – and subsequently by the Department for the Economy and Transport of the Welsh Assembly Government. Public sector investment of over £450m [~$900 million] has been expended on the reclamation and restoration of around 11000 hectares [~27,000 acres] of despoiled land at over 1000 sites. The major priority for the programme has been the removal of physical hazards presented by the historic deposition of coal mine waste on inherently unstable, steep valley slopes in the South Wales coalfield. Hazards posed by residual chemical contamination from closed industries has also received much attention; particularly since the early 1990’s when legislation on contaminated land was first proposed by the UK Government.
As a Government sponsored regeneration body, the WDA had a much wider role than just land reclamation. The principal activity was aimed at creating a vibrant business environment for companies to establish and grow, thus addressing the high levels of unemployment generated by the closure of traditional industries. These activities have continued since the merger with the Welsh Assembly Government. This aim is supported by capital investment in land reclamation, urban regeneration and property development/ management. In many locations, land reclamation has provided the only source of new employment and development land and, in most cases, the work represents the essential first step for social and environmental regeneration. The outputs from the programme mean that Wales has benefited from the transformation of a substantial area of formerly despoiled land (with poor quality landscape and low ecological value) into land which can support valuable recreational and leisure pursuits, new habitats and an enhanced landscape. This land includes numerous lakes, cycleways and formal playing fields. Tourism and heritage has gained significant benefits from the funding provided. Where possible, the programme has given support to the conservation of historic buildings and to essential safety works required to permit public access. This has allowed the surface buildings at 3 former collieries to be retained for tourism initiatives and, in one of these cases, the deep workings have been retained and are open to the public for guided tours. Case studies of projects will be used in the presentation to demonstrate the types of reclamation projects undertaken under the programme and the outputs achieved. In addition, I will touch on the management role fulfilled by the Welsh Assembly Government, engagement with communities and other stakeholders and the incorporation of sustainable development criteria into regeneration projects. |
Biopic for Steve L Smith Steve Smith is the Head of Land Reclamation in the Department for the Economy and Transport of the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG). He is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 20 years experience of land reclamation in Wales; initially with engineering consultants before joining the UK’s economic regeneration agency for Wales (Welsh Development Agency – WDA) in 1987. The WDA were merged into the Welsh Assembly Government on 1 April 2006. His principal duties relate to the management of the public sector land reclamation programme within the South East Division. This programme has a current annual expenditure of around £9m, but includes projects with a gross value of up to £30m. In addition, he provides technical advice for reclamation projects being implemented across Wales and for development activity on brownfield land. His experience includes managing the preparation of the WDA Manual on the Management of Land Contamination and he represents the WAG for a number of national and international initiatives on contaminated land and brownfield development. He is a past Chairman of the British Land Reclamation Society and acts as the Society’s international representative for the International Affiliation of Land Reclamationists – a network of 5 reclamation societies around the world. He represents the WAG on the Board of Trustees for CL:AIRE, the UK-wide organisation for remediation technology demonstration and development. Steve.Smith@Wales.GSI.Gov.UK
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| Wed 11:00 - 11:45 Trk B . |
(AHA) Anthracite Heritage Alliance Dale Freudenberger Dale Freudenberger, Heritage Projects Manager for the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor will present an overview of the new Anthracite Heritage Alliance created in 2008 in the coal region of northeast Pennsylvania. The Anthracite Heritage Alliance is a partnership consisting of 3 National Heritage Areas, working together with multiple local non-profit and regional watershed and conservation groups, along with state and federal agencies. The goals of the AHA are to utilize the resources and technical expertise of each of these partners to increase attention on cleaning up and preserving our anthracite watersheds, while preserving our anthracite heritage and culture. |
Dale Freudenberger is a lifelong resident of Tamaqua, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Beginning at the age of 13, he has spent 35 years, working first as a volunteer, and then professionally in historic preservation, restoration, tourism and economic development, railroad service, community visioning, downtown revitalization, design, marketing, retailing, event planning, legislative issues, green space and trails, grant writing, and other related fields. He currently works for the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor as Heritage Projects Manager. His latest project is the Anthracite Heritage Alliance working with the Office of Surface Mining, Americorps VISTA, and the Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team.
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| Wed 11:45 - 12:30 Trk A . |
Abandoned Mines – the Seinfeldian Side of Pennsylvania’s Mining Heritage J. Scott Roberts, Deputy Secretary If Seinfeld was a show about nothing then the history of Pennsylvania’s abandoned mines is a story about nothing. Mines close for many reasons but they are abandoned because of nothing – nothing done to reclaim the mine site, nothing done to restore the environment, or, in some cases, nothing done transition the community to a new future. Examining the nothing may not make us wiser but it does put our responsibility for the future into proper context. Besides, to paraphrase David McCullough, no harms done to nothing by making it something someone would want to hear. |
J. Scott Roberts is Deputy Secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Office of Mineral Resources Management. In this executive management position, he oversees five program areas, encompassing 555 employees, with an annual operating budget of $110 million. Mineral Resources is responsible for developing and implementing Pennsylvania's policies and programs for surface and underground coal and industrial mineral mining, oil and gas exploration and production, mine safety and the reclamation of abandoned mines and wells. The direct economic impact of these programs in Pennsylvania exceeds $2 billion annually. Deputy Secretary Roberts was appointed to this position by Governor Mark Schweiker in February 2002. “Scott brings a great blend of technical knowledge and management skills to this important position at DEP,” Gov. Schweiker said. “His leadership will be a great asset in our continued efforts to ensure safe and environmentally responsible mineral extraction, while working with industry and the public to reclaim abandoned-mine lands and to improve watersheds.” Prior to his appointment as Deputy Secretary, Scott served as Director of DEP’s Bureau of Mining and Reclamation for two years where he developed and revised Pennsylvania’s mining regulations, oversaw federal grants, administered operator assistance programs and served as chairman of the board for Pennsylvania’s Mine Subsidence Insurance program. Prior to that, he was the Chief of the Permits and Technical Division in the Greensburg Office of District Mining Operations. A native of Johnstown, Cambria County, Scott once served as curator of the Johnstown Flood Museum. He is a Registered Professional Geologist, with degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and California University of Pennsylvania. Scott lives in New Cumberland, Cumberland County, with his wife Rebecca and two daughters, Rhiannon and Hannah. |
| Wed 1:45 - 5:00 Work . |
Dr. Peter Geissler PowerPunch Writing for technologists and others focuses on how and why your words can make you rich (or poor)…how experienced writers develop empathy for readers to shape content, structure, and tone…and how good writers have internalized the Big Ten habits and Big Six techniques that are guaranteed to bring order out of chaos by creating documents that are clear, concise, and purposeful. Concepts are supported fully by before-and-after examples written by scientists, engineers, and managers. |
Pete Geissler is an experienced and successful professional writer of corporate information and highly rated teacher of professional and technical writing at two major universities. He has authored four critically acclaimed books on business, and is now completing a fifth. For more: www.peteswords.com. |
| Wed 1:45 - 2:30 Trk A . |
Pennsylvania’s Historical Annual Mining Reports - 1870 to Present Robin Lighty Published since 1870, PA’s official annual reports on coal mining activities are a valuable resource for historians and genealogists, providing individual mine identification, mine production and employment statistics, and detailed accident and mine disaster reports. These mine records are also part of the current permitting process for new underground mines, as a way of verifying that maps of adjacent mines are indeed final mine maps and show the full extent of mine workings. The annual mine inspectors’ reports for years 1870 to 1920 are particularly thorough and detailed for every anthracite and bituminous mine, and contain narrative sections on conditions in the mines, new technological developments, official reports on mine disasters with maps, and summaries of new mining and safety laws. Accident and fatality tables contain every miner’s name, country of origin, age, marital status and number of children, specific job title, and date and cause of the accident or fatality in the identified mine. Although never part of the PA State Archives, a DEP Bureau of Mining and Reclamation website shows current locations of university and government libraries that hold sizable collections of these reports, as well as providing research aids to quickly access their content. In addition to the report’s title changing every few years, each book is organized by inspection districts that are delineated with no particular geographic pattern and that also change in number and location every few years. The BMR website provides a lookup tool to query by year and county to identify which district’s report is relevant. These annual reports tell a history of hard work, injury, death and disaster in our coal mines. |
Robin Lighty is a manager with the PA Bureau of Mining and Reclamation, where he deals with all current mining activities throughout the state as well as managing the Bureau’s extensive collections of mining records, historical reports and mine maps. At the federal level, he represents PA’s mining program as a member of the OSM Appalachian Region Technology Transfer Team and as a National Geospatial Data Steward. Prior to joining the Bureau in 1994 he was Assistant Professor of Geology at Texas A&M University, an international research geologist with Citgo Oil and Gas Exploration, a minerals exploration field geologist with the Chevron Resources Company, and held a visiting research fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution. He has authored numerous scientific publications and reports on geology, oceanography, and PA coal mining. He is a board member and executive officer of several historical and genealogical societies, and an avid collector of 19th century historical documents and photographs. |
| Wed 1:45 - 2:30 Trk B . |
Dr. Timothy Tsukamoto Improving lime precipitation efficiency lowers the cost of treating acid mine drainage. However, conventional lime precipitation systems often do not effectively utilize lime while requiring significant resources. This presentation analyzes treatability studies comparing the Rotating Cylinder Treatment SystemTM (RCTSTM) to conventional lime precipitation systems. The study addresses metals removal effectiveness, energy requirements, labor demands, chemical consumption, and sludge production at several sites. The RCTS replaces the reaction vessels, compressors, diffusers and agitators found in conventional systems. Oxidation and mixing is accomplished by passing acid mine drainage and lime slurry through a containment cell, in which a perforated cylinder rotates. As the cylinder rotates, a thin film of water adheres to the inner and outer surfaces where gas exchange occurs. In addition, water bridges across the perforations for additional gas exchange. The agitation is provided primarily by the impact of the perforations with the water flowing through the containment cell. Air is forced into the water where additional gas transfer can occur. The turbulence that is produced provides efficient lime mixing and dissolution, which results in less lime consumed due to the utilization of the available alkalinity, and less sludge produced as a result of less lime usage. On the three sites tested the RCTS utilized 31%-51% less lime. Comparisons of sludge settling rates with a conventional system revealed a near threefold increase in settling rates. On a site that required manganese oxidation and removal the RCTS oxidized and precipitated 26 mg/L of manganese to less than 0.08 mg/L at pH 9.75 with less than 2 minutes residence time. In all of the studies the RCTS effectively precipitated metals and increased pH, on sites that compared the RCTS with conventional treatment the RCTS system required substantially less energy, chemical, labor and residence time. |
Dr. Timothy Tsukamoto has a B.S. in Biology and a Ph.D. in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Nevada, Reno. He is the former owner of TKT Consulting, LLC, and was formerly a Research Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is currently the Director of Technology of Ionic Water Technologies Inc. He has worked in various aspects of the mining industry for over 20 years. He has developed acid mine drainage treatment and prevention technologies at sites throughout North America. timt@iwtechnologies.com |
| Wed 2:30 - 3:15 Trk A . |
John Enman, Ph.D. This presentation of Pennsylvania Patch Towns is restricted to the bituminous sector stretching from Bradford County in the northeast westward to Mercer and Greene. It incorporates the rationale for coal-mining villages, the evolution of dwelling styles, sizes, and amenities. Considered, also, is the position of the settlement within the mining complex and such components as streets, the company store, schools, churches, recreational facilities, and use of the dwelling premises.
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John Enman received a BA degree (geology) from the University of Maine, the AM (geography) from Harvard University, and a PhD (geography) from the University of Pittsburgh. |
| Wed 2:30 - 3:15 Trk B . |
Tom Kerr will lead a conversation about an embryonic effort to discover ways to integrate, through creative linkages, current successful AMR/AMD/brownfields activities with new, innovative ideas and improved technologies. Participation in this emerging effort is being sought from all possible stakeholders. Interesting things are already developing. Come to learn and to participate. HDR is a full-service engineering, architectural, and consulting firm, whose professionals – representing hundreds of disciplines – collaborate on blended teams, from 140 offices across North America and abroad, to manage complex projects well beyond the scope of traditional architecture/engineering firms. |
Tom Kerr has a 26-year history working with Pennsylvania’s legacy environmental issues at Wildlands Conservancy (as CEO), Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, and now HDR Engineering. |
| Wed 3:45 - 4:30 Trk A . |
J. Davitt McAteer, Ph.D.
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J. Davitt McAteer, a native of West Virginia, 1966 graduate of Wheeling Jesuit University, and a 1970 graduate of the West Virginia University College of Law, has devoted much of his professional efforts to mine health and safety issues. He worked with consumer and environmental advocate Ralph Nader on efforts to enact the landmark 1969 Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Acts. During the 1970s, Davitt led the safety and health programs of the United Mine Workers and founded the Occupational Safety and Health Law Center. In 1984, he visited South Africa at the request of the National Union of Mine Workers to study health and safety issues, and during the Clinton administration served as Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health at the United States Department of Labor. He also served nearly two years as the Acting Solicitor for the Department of Labor, the second largest law firm in the federal government at that time. Shortly after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, he was called on to act as an advisor to the recovery efforts at Ground Zero, consulting with the International Union of Operating Engineers – the heavy equipment operators and building engineers, as well as the New York City Subway Workers Union – Transportation Workers Union Local 100. Today, he serves as Vice President of Sponsored Programs at Wheeling Jesuit University, and leads several national centers that impact economic development, education, and mine safety, including the Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center and the Erma Ora Byrd Center for Educational Technologies, which houses the NASA Sponsored Classroom of the Future. Davitt is director of the University's Coal Impoundment Project, which identifies and develops methods of stabilizing or removing coal impoundments throughout Appalachia, and is consultant to the University's Clifford M. Lewis, S.J., Appalachian Institute. In January of 2006, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin asked Mr. McAteer to serve as personal advisor and conduct an independent investigation into the cause or causes of the Sago Mine Disaster and the Aracoma Alma No. 1 Mine Fire, both of which occurred in January, 2006. Mr. McAteer and his team produced two reports in July and November including recommendations to improve mine safety in West Virginia and across the nation. Davitt maintains an office and lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, in the State of West Virginia, the District of Columbia, the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, and the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Recently, West Virginia University Press published Monongah authored by Mr. McAteer. Monongah is the history of the largest mine disaster in United States history and tells the story of the immigrants who, in 1900, came to this country to work in the mines and their struggle for a better life. |
| Wed 3:45 - 4:30 Trk B . |
The Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team (ACCWT) in Anthracite region Carly Truman, Catherine Webster, & Learn about how a low-cost, full-time OSM/VISTA (Office of Surface Mining/AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America) volunteer can help your organization restore its watershed and invigorate community projects! Three OSM/VISTA members present information on the history that led up to the creation of the ACCWT, the purpose of the partnership, and examples of recent projects. Historical, cultural, economic, educational, and AMD monitoring and treatment projects will be discussed. |
Carly Truman received her bachelor's degree from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. She held an internship with The Nature Conservancy as a conservation docent on the Saco River in her hometown of Fryeburg, Maine, before beginning a one-year commitment as an Office of Surface Mining/AmeriCorps VISTA with the Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation. ctrumann@epcamr.org Catherine Webster is the Schuylkill County Conservation District's first of three Office of Surface Mining/AmeriCorps VISTA members working for the district for a one-year term. She attended Bucknell University for Anthropology and Environmental Studies and will be attending Graduate School after completing her OSM/VISTA term in November to pursue her interests in Ecological Restoration. webstercatherine@hotmail.com Savanna Lyons, ACCWT VISTA Leader vistaleader@accwt.org |
| Wed 4:30 - 5:15 Trk A . |
Michael Auktakalnis |
Michael Auktakalnis is a Director, Mine Electrcian, Assistant Mine Manager, and last but not least a Tour Guide for the No. 9 Coal Mine & Museum, a tourist mine in Lansford, PA.
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| Wed 4:30 - 5:15 Trk B . |
Coal Impoundment Location and Warning System John D. Quaranta The Coal Impoundment Project at Wheeling Jesuit University has developed an Internet web site to provide citizens, regulators, industry, and emergency responders with information to enhance the safety and emergency response at coal waste impoundments. The web site has built on the initial pilot program to expand into five Appalachian coal producing states including: West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The Coal Impoundment Project has performed research projects into addressing numerous findings identified by the National Research Council’s study titled Coal Waste Impoundments: Risks, Responses, and Alternatives. This study was requested by Congress after the slurry release from Martin County Coal Corporation that occurred in Inez, Kentucky in October 2000. This presentation will highlight the Internet web site features and discuss recent Table Top exercises of Emergency Action Plans with emergency responders and regulators. The exercises were developed following the Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines for dams. |
John D. Quaranta, Ph.D., P.E., is Associate Director of the West Virginia Water Research Institute at West Virginia University. His research areas include coal waste impoundment evaluation to improve structural stability, environmental compliance, physical security, automatic instrumentation, data collection, and geophysical evaluation. Dr. Quaranta has a Ph.D. in geotechnical engineering and is a faculty member with the Department of Civil Engineering at West Virginia University - College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. Dr. Quaranta supports the engineering aspects of a multi-university program addressing Coal Slurry Impoundment safety through research funding from the US Mine Safety and Health Administration. Dr. Quaranta received his Ph.D. and MS in Civil Engineering and has bachelor degrees in civil and mechanical engineering. He is a Registered Professional Engineer.
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Conference Presentation Abstracts and Biographies
Thursday, August 14, 2008 Presentations ---- Tuesday ----- Wednesday
| Time | Presentation Abstract | Presenter Biography |
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| Thu 8:15 - 9:00 Plenary . |
Chester Kulesa The Anthracite Museum Complex preserves and interprets all facets of life in the hard coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania. The members of the Complex are Eckley Miners’ Village, which focuses on the everyday life of the miner and his family; the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum, which provides an overview of the economic and institutional development of the Anthracite Region with themes that include immigration and ethnicity, the development of transportation and communities, and the formation of social and labor organizations, within the context of the region’s leading industries—coal, textiles and railroads; and the Scranton Iron Furnaces of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company, once the second largest producer of iron in the United States and representing an important market for anthracite. |
Chester Kulesa is the Historic Site Administrator of the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum and the Historic Scranton or Lackawanna Iron Furnaces of the Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums, Central Division, of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. He is a product of the Scranton Public School system and a veteran of the United States Coast Guard. A student of Anthropology, Archaeology and History, he received his B.A. from the Pennsylvania State University and his M.A. from the College of William and Mary. Chester has found his work at the Museum and Iron Furnaces to be a rewarding experience and is blessed to be working with an outstanding Board of Directors, staff and group of volunteers. They have all worked together as a team to present exhibits, tours, educational programs, special events, and publications that broaden understanding and appreciation of the people who came to work in the mines, mills and factories of northeastern Pennsylvania’s hard coal region. ckulesa@state.pa.us |
| Thu 9:00 - 9:45 Trk A . |
James Tobal This session will introduce teaching strategies used by the presenter to incorporate local history into the Social Studies curriculum at a rural school district in southwestern Pennsylvania. As students develop an awareness of the significance of past events, they have a better understanding and appreciation of the world in which they live today. The construction of the National Road in the early 1800’s and the Coal and Coke era are two periods which continue to impact the economy and culture of Southwestern Pennsylvania and will be the focus of this discussion. |
James Tobal is a retired American History teacher who taught for 36 years in the Laurel Highlands School District in Fayette County Pennsylvania. He grew up in a coal mining family, his grandfathers having immigrated to this country in the early 1900’s to find work in the bituminous coal mines and his father and uncles continued the coal mining tradition. Jim received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from California University of Pennsylvania. Active in his community, he is currently serving on the Laurel Highlands Board of Education, is a member of the Greater Redstone Clearwater Initiative, the Historic Hopwood Village Project, the National Road Heritage Board, and chairs the youth fishing committee of the Chestnut Ridge Chapter of Trout Unlimited. |
| Thu 9:00 - 9:45 Trk B . |
Irwin Marcus, Ph.D. Although coal mine fatalities reached record levels in December 2007, neither the coal industry nor the federal government embarked on a remedial program. While safety experts and the United Mine Workers have some culpability in failure to press the industry to adopt more stringent standards, this paper highlights the role of the federal government and focuses particular attention on the actions of President Theodore Roosevelt. |
Irwin M. Marcus, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus, Department of History, at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Marcus created the first courses in U.S. labor history, African-American history, and the history of protest movements to the IUP curriculum. His research and publications focus on the history of Pennsylvania coal miners and steel workers, deindustrialization, and globalization.
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| Thu 9:45 - 10:30 Trk A . |
Anthracite Living History Group & Avondale Mine Site Historic Preservation Efforts Eric Bella An examination of the past, present and future of the Avondale mine site and the Avondale mine disaster. |
Eric Bella is a 17 year old senior at Lake Lehman High School, Luzerne County in the Anthracite region. He is Vice Chair of the Anthracite Living History Group; volunteer for the Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation; volunteer for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Inc.; a member of the Luzerne County Historical Society and volunteer for the Luzerne County Fair. Eric's future aspirations include becoming a history professor and historian. |
| Thu 9:45 - 10:30 Trk B . |
Climbing Jacob’s Ladder: The Coal Mine Disasters of December 1907 in Historical Perspective Elizabeth A. Ricketts, Ph.D. This paper explores the causes of and responses to the deadliest month in coal mining history. The paper focuses on the two deadliest of these explosions—Monongah and Darr—reexamining the traditional interpretation which paints these disasters as tragic events which inaugurated a serious commitment to mine safety in the United States. Instead, the paper argues that the tragedies and their aftermath must be viewed within the context of entrenched corporate power which allowed coal corporations to avoid implementing numerous safety measures that had become standard in European mines before the disastrous month of December 1907 and to deflect meaningful federal supervision of coal mines in the U.S. for more than another half century. |
Elizabeth A. Ricketts received her Ph.D. from Emory University. An assistant professor of history at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, she teaches courses in labor, African-American, and women's history. Her research and publications focus on the social, labor, and political history of coal miners in western Pennsylvania. She is currently engaged in co-authoring a book on 19th century work in America.
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| Thu 10:45 - 11:30 Trk A . |
Ron Morgan The Broad Top Coal Field is situated in the corners of Huntingdon, Bedford and FultonCounties in south-central Pennsylvania. Located about midway between the anthracite coal field of northeastern Pennsylvania and the bituminous field of southwestern Pennsylvania, the isolated Broad Top semi-bituminous coal field was discovered by a local blacksmith around 1800. Small “country mines” dotted the Broad Top landscape until the early 1850s when the Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad (H&BT) was opened from Huntingdon to Saxton, to haul coal from the newly opened deep mines along Shoups Run. By the late 1880s three branch lines extended from the main line of the H&BT tapping more mines on the western side of BroadTopMountain. The H&BT was scrapped in 1954. During the 1870s the Rockhill Iron and Coal Company and its subsidiary, the East Broad Top Railroad and Coal Company, opened deep mines on the eastern flank of Broad Top Mountain resulting in the founding of two “company towns,” Robertsdale and Wood. The narrow gauge East Broad Top Railroad served the mining region until 1956. Following World War II Broad Top deep mining declined and by the mid 1950s surface mining had replaced the industry, continuing on a large scale until the 1980s. Today, limited surface mining exist but there are no deep mines. With the closing of the H&BT and EBT railroads and various mining companies in the 1950s the heritage of King Coal slipped into the pages of history. In 1960, the EBT was reopened as a tourist railroad at Rockhill and proposals are still being considered for the extension of the remaining 33-miles of EBT right of way from MountUnion to Robertsdale. The Broad Top Area Coal Miners Historical Society was founded in 1990 in the former Reality Theatre, Robertsdale, and expanded into the former RobertsdaleUnitedMethodistChurch in 2008. The museum is open on weekends while the Reality Theatre is utilized as a research library, entertainment center and society headquarters. Mr. Morgan’s slide presentation will follow the history of the Broad Top Coal Field, the demise of coal mining and efforts by the historical society to preserve and interpret the heritage of King Coal on the Broad Top. |
Ron Morgan is a life-long native of the Broad Top and resides in the former coal mining town of Robertsdale, Huntingdon County, Pa. One of his grandfathers worked in the deep mines of the Broad Top while another grandfather worked on the Pennsylvania and East Broad Top Railroads which hauled coal from historic BroadTopMountain. Mr. Morgan is semi-retired from the Huntingdon Daily News as a reporter/photographer and columnist with over 38 years of employment. He continues to write a historical column in the newspaper that often focuses on steam railroading and coal mining. After concluding a four-year stint in the U.S. Army (1966-1970), including duty in Vietnam in 1968-69, Morgan opened the Saxton bureau of the Huntingdon Daily News in 1971. Since the early 1970s Mr. Morgan has written numerous books on the history of the Broad Top area with a special emphasis on steam railroading and coal mining. His interest in history resulted in the participation in numerous historic preservation activities in the Broad Top area and the county seat of Huntingdon. In 1990 he helped found the Broad Top Area Coal Miners Historical Society resulting in the establishment of the Broad Top Area Coal Miners Museum and Entertainment Center in Robertsdale. |
| Thu 10:45 - 11:30 Trk B . |
Why Pennsylvania’s Coal Story of the 1920s is Important to Us Today James Dougherty Dr. Dougherty will provide an overview history of Pennsylvania’s bituminous coal industry from 1919-1933. Immediately after WWI the nation had an overdeveloped industry. The energy demands of WWI had receded and the nation slowly moved back to a peace-time economy. For the coal industry, this produced a situation where there were too many mines and miners and little demand for the productive capacity that was created for meeting the needs of the war. In response both operators and coal miners offer plans to remedy this situation. Dr. Dougherty will discuss these proposals and their outcome. In addition he will offer suggests on why knowledge of such stories, like the bituminous coal story of the 1920s, could help our society in planning responses to economic and social change in the present and the future. |
James Dougherty is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and the director of IUP’s Center for Northern Appalachian Studies. He holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of Buffalo where he studied under Michael Firsch among other prominent scholars. Professor Dougherty is the co-editor of The Global Economy: Divergent Perspectives on Economic Change and producer/writer of the documentary The Struggle for an American Way of Life: Bituminous Coal Operators and Miners in Central Pennsylvania, 1919-1933. James.Dougherty@iup.edu |
| Thu 11:30 - 12:15 Trk A . |
The Artwork and Life of Frank Wyso Steven J. Lichak
Wyso was one of twelve children born to Ukrainian immigrants. His father, Joseph, was a coal miner who, when Frank was twenty-one years old, lost his life in a mining accident. It was Wyso’s intimate knowledge of miners and their families that was to influence his art throughout his life. His paintings and sculptures document the tools and working conditions of the anthracite coal mines of northeastern Pennsylvania, as well as the modest means and simple lifestyle of the coal miners’ families. Wyso left the public schools after seventh grade, which may well have allowed him the freedom to develop his unique style as an Outsider Artist. After a brief career in the Marine Corps, Wyso took his first and only art training at the Murray School of Art in Scranton. Frank’s career as an artist first began as a freelance cartoonist, largely for the United Mine Workers Journal between 1955 and 1972. During this time he also developed his bright multi-media technique by applying watercolor, pen & ink and crayon. His subjects, though largely centered around miners and their family lives, also included religious influences and landscapes. The last area Frank developed was his sculpture. Using ordinary household items such as plastic containers, wire hangers and aluminum foil, Frank built the basic armatures upon which he layered automobile industry polymer to create powerful sculptures whose surfaces give the appearance of metal. During his career, Frank won many awards. Particularly noteworthy were his invitations to exhibit in the American Drawing Biennial in Norfolk, VA. He was first invited as one of 150 artists selected in 1969 by John Canady of the New York Times from among 1,425 entries. His second invitation was in 1971 when Henry Pitz of American Artist magazine chose his drawing as one of 126 out of 1,683 pieces entered. In addition, in 1972 he was listed in La Revue Moderne des arts et de la vie as an important American artist, and in the 1972-73 edition of Artists/USA Guide to Contemporary American Art. Between 1965 and 1994 Frank showed in over fifty exhibits. Among his most successful solo shows were The Potter’s House, Washington, D.C.; Lynn Kottler Galleries, New York, NY; Maplewood Gallery, Birmingham, MI; The Reception Gallery, Nabisco, Inc., New Hanover, NJ; The Balch Institute, Philadelphia, PA; The Everhart Museum, Scranton, PA; George Markle Gallery, Warren, MI; The Scranton Anthracite Museum, Scranton, PA; and Chaika Gallery, Warren , MI. Since his death, Frank’s family continues to believe that his work has an important American story to tell, and they would like to share that story with all of us for generations to come. |
Steven J. Lichak has been employed by Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA since 1986. He is Senior Producer in the Digital Media Studios located in the Fairchild Martindale Libraries. Steven J. Lichak is also founding president of The Wyso Foundation, dedicated to the preservation of the coal mining history of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Please visit The Wyso Foundation website at: http://www.frankwyso.org/site/index2.htm sjl4@Lehigh.EDU |
| Thu 11:30 - 12:15 Trk B . |
Lance Metz The first two decades of the 19th century witnessed the beginning of the exploitation of water to transport Anthracite coal. Canals were built in the Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Lehigh, and Delaware watersheds to bring coal from mine to market. These transportation systems remained active until the early part of the 20th century when competition from trucking caused their demise. Not only did these systems transport coal, but they also served as a convenient way for coal companies to dispose of their unwanted waste products, particularly fine sizes of coal called “coal dirt” or “coal fines”. The coal dirt was released into the streams that ran into the reservoirs that powered the canals and backed up into the mill ponds. By the end of the 19th century, this overflow of coal dirt had caused an enormous problem for the operators of the canal, mines, and water systems. However, the invention of pulverized coal-powered power plants enabled what was once a waste product to become a much sought-after commodity. Even after the canals had ceased to be of service to suppliers of new-mined coal, they had great value as sources of this coal dirt. Between 1920 and 1940, the Lehigh [coal and ]Navigation [company] remained the last of these coal fine operations in place. The story of Lehigh Navigation in the development of its industry will be the primary focus of this presentation.
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Lance Metz is the Archivist tor the National Canal Museum - |
| Thu 1:15 - 2:00 Trk A . |
Connecting Youth to Pennsylvania’s Coal Heritage Wil Taylor Discover how Jennings Environmental Education Center makes Pennsylvania’s coal heritage personal by using tangible objects and artifacts, innovative hands-on activities and interpretive techniques. This interactive session will demonstrate these techniques and stress the importance of creating lasting experiences and personal connections for your audience. |
Wil Taylor is the program coordinator at Jennings Environmental Education Center. Jennings is a resource-based state park located in Butler County that features the only protected and managed prairie in Pennsylvania, several endangered plants and animals and an abandoned mine that discharges severely degraded mine drainage. Wil has developed and facilitated many educational and interpretive programs centered around the mine, the issue of abandoned mine drainage and passive treatment. These programs have included teacher workshops, agency trainings, college courses, middle school and high school programs and community events and presentations. Wil is a graduate of Slippery Rock University and has been with the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks since 1994. He is the primary author of “Accepting the Challenge: a primer about the history, cause and solutions to abandoned mine drainage”. wilbutaylo@state.pa.us |
| Thu 1:15 - 2:00 Trk B . |
Autocracy and Resistance in Windber, PA Millie Allen Beik, Ph.D. The Berwind-White Coal Mining Company founded the town of Windber in 1897 and, from the start, relied on immigrant labor from southern, central, and eastern Europe to become a successful and major national coal producer. The very name of “Windber,” an anagram of “Berwind,” is revealing. As early as 1899, residents and visitors were describing Windber in starkly contrasting terms. While the company and its supporters were actively promoting what they called “a model town,” miners, union officials, and others were simultaneously criticizing it as a “slave town.” In fact, Windber was founded as an autocratic company town, and its history can not be understood without an appreciation of the autocratic rule of the coal company or of the courageous resistance of many miners, farmers, and others for a better and more democratic life. Beik’s talk will focus on major related historical conflicts that occurred in Windber and stress the ongoing power struggles that go on today in what she calls a “modified company town.” Windber’s history is not unique. |
Millie Allen Beik is the daughter of a Pennsylvania coal miner who earned her Ph.D. in history at Northern Illinois University in 1989. Her book, The Miners of Windber: The Struggles of New Immigrants for Unionization, 1890s-1930s, won the International Labor History Association’s prize for the best book of the year in 1996. Beik has taught at several universities, including Northern Illinois University, Emory University, and Georgia Tech; worked as a reference librarian for ten years; and recently completed Labor Relations (Greenwood Press, 2005) highlighting major turning points in the history of U.S. labor. She retired to Pittsburgh in 2007, participates in social justice causes, and serves on the boards of the Pennsylvania Labor History Society and the Battle of Homestead Foundation. |
| Thu 2:00 - 3:45 Trk A . |
Pamela Seighman & Elaine DeFrank Since 1977, The Coal and Coke Heritage Center at Penn State Fayette has worked to capture and preserve the history and heritage of the coal and coke industries. Curator, Pamela Seighman will introduce you to the newly expanded and renovated Center where visitors can learn more about the world renowned Connellsville Coke Region. Various sources for research opportunities within the Collection will also be explored. Elaine DeFrank, oral historian will offer insights into the oral history collection housed at the Center. Over 500 hours of recorded interviews give visitors a glimpse of the people who came to work in the industry and created a unique and diversified culture. Although this once mighty empire of King Coal and Queen Coke has long ago crumbled, the Coal and Coke Heritage Center has made every effort to recognize that it will always be a part of us because it helped forge who we are and who we will become. |
Pamela Seighman has served as the curator of the Coal and Coke Heritage Center since 1993. An undergraduate of Penn State, she has a Masters degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Library Science. Preparation for the newly renovated Center with expanded exhibits and displays has been her most recent accomplishment. Research endeavors include the video documentary Silver Cinders and serving as technical editor of Common Lives. She has also provided information for requests from regional, national and international organizations, all interested in some aspect of this area’s coal and coke industry. In addition, she and colleague Elaine DeFrank have planned and provided innovative programs for the public, including school students of all ages; and recently appeared in the Pennsylvania Cable Network series, Its History. Elaine DeFrank serves as the oral historian for the Penn State Fayette Coal and Coke Heritage Center. She holds a degree in Letters, Arts and Sciences from Penn State Fayette. Her work includes interviewing and recording the stories of industry, culture and traditions associated with the residents of this area. She is proud to have five generations of her family in the coal and coke industry. On her recent trip to Slovakia, Elaine was thrilled to have the opportunity to use her skills as an oral historian to gather information about her own family roots. She also served as a technical editor for the book Common Lives and made a featured appearance in the video documentary Silver Cinders. |
| Thu 2:00 - 2:45 Trk B . |
Post Office "Local Heritage Artwork" David Lembeck During the New Deal Era the federal government embarked on a massive public works building program. The most visible of these projects were the charming post office buildings designed for small towns. Artists were often commissioned to create murals and sculpture for these post offices reflecting the community. The most common themes were local industry, agriculture, and history. A significant percentage of the industrial themed artworks portray coal mining. In the northeastern part of Pennsylvania anthracite coal mining is depicted as a major or minor theme in all post office artworks in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties and in several towns outside of these counties. In southwestern Pennsylvania, a number of murals depict the bituminous coal industry, often combined with images of steel making. Many of these murals and sculptures were created by prominent American artists. They are beautiful works of art in their own right and they contain valuable informational about Pennsylvania's coal mining heritage. Details of mining operations — the collieries, tools, and landscapes along with portraits of coal miners continue to grace the walls of many post office lobbies. While most of these operations have disappeared, these artworks remain powerful reminders of one of Pennsylvania's most important industries of the 20th century. Related Link: The Post Office — A Community Icon |
David Lembeck has been studying Pennsylvania post office art and architecture for more than ten years. Following graduation from the Pennsylvania State University with majors in Graphic Design and Speech Communications he worked in publication design in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and State College. Much of his work deals with architecture and historic preservation.
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| Thu 3:00 - 3:45 Plenary . |
Mining & Coking in Perspective Evelyn Hovanec, Ph.D As we begin a new century and, it seems, a new energy era, we need to learn the lessons that 150+ years of United States dependence on fossil fuels—especially coal-- can teach us. What have we learned from these industries? What have they given us and what have they cost us? What are we willing to pay for energy this time around in resources, environment, and impact upon people and society? This presentation outlines the development of the coal/coke industries of southwestern Pennsylvania with an emphasis upon the Connellsville Coke Region and surrounding areas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, their decline in the mid 20th century, and then looks at the negative and positive effects these powerful industries had upon the land, people, regional economics, politics, etc.
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Dr. Evelyn Hovanec graduated with a Bachelors degree in Social Studies and English and a Masters degree in American Literature from Duquesne University. She received her doctorate in American Literature from the University of Pittsburgh. She taught at various educational levels throughout her teaching career before her retirement in 2001. Her 35 years with Penn State University were divided between teaching English and American Studies in addition to administrative duties at both Penn State Fayette and Penn State McKeesport. She has authored several journal articles and in 1978, co-authored the book, Patch/Work Voices: the Culture and Lore of a Mining People, the classic work on the everyday life of immigrants in the coal and coke industry of southwestern Pennsylvania. The book is now in its fourth printing. For nearly nine years she devoted herself to writing, editing and publishing her latest contribution titled: Common Lives of Uncommon Strength: The Women of the Coal and Coke Era. This writing venture has been described as a “significant contribution to understanding the many interrelationships of coal mining and coke production within the family structure.” Dr. Hovanec is one of the three founders of the Coal and Coke Heritage Center located at Penn State Fayette and currently serves as a Center adviser. She is currently serving as a member of the Fayette County Historic Preservation Ad Hoc Zoning Committee and the Fayette County Planning Commission. |