This letter appeared recently in the Hazleton Standard Speaker.
Editor:
Local conservationists have recently received some unaccustomed good news.
On the global level the Inflation Reduction Act provides substantial funding to combat climate change. On the national level the infrastructure funding and STREAM Act provide funding to restore waterways impacted by various sources/pollutants including acid mine drainage. Add to this the progress being made in extracting rare earth elements from coal waste/mine drainage and the prospect of eventually remediating the thirteen mine drainage tunnels in the Hazleton area seems promising.
That all remains in the future. What is an immediate cause for celebration is the recent announcement that the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has preserved over 5,000 acres at the headwaters of the Catawissa Creek. This land formerly hosted Paragon Adventure Tours and later was proposed as the site of the controversial cargo airport that was fortunately killed by East Union Township zoning. This land will become a multi-use state park and will greatly add to the quality of life in the Hazleton area. It will also serve to retain and attract educated young people that value clean outdoor recreation. Best of all the land will not be the site of another warehouse park.
Sincerely,
Drew Magill