Michael Sauers
April 8,2024
Part 2
The scenarios painted in Part 1 were not unique to Hazleton. No, these same disastrous and ill-fated economic development plans, along with coal mining, plagued all of Northeastern Pennsylvania. While the names changed the results were the same.
That brings us to today. Whether you are in Pottsville, Hazleton, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton or any number of smaller communities in between the devastation is the same as is the modus operandi for addressing it. You have tens of thousands of acres scarred from coal mining. You have hundreds of miles of dead, polluted streams that empty into the Lackawanna, Lehigh, Delaware, Schuylkil and Susquehanna rivers. You have scores of small cities and towns struggling to reinvent themselves as they were totally abandoned by King Coal. The majority of coal barons, their families and their investors returned to London, Philadelphia and New York. This is not a pretty picture nor is it inviting for upscale, progressive industries.
Industrial development organizations popped up in all of these locations. Like feudal fiefdoms they catered to the severely limited visions of local pseudo economic developers. Very little input was taken from the community at large. What would they know? The result is what you see. Scores of polluting industries with low paying jobs. There are dozens of sprawling industrial parks that look like a kindergarten class assembled them. The latest trend is “warehousing”. Scores of enormous shell buildings designed to hold all sorts of consumer products destined for American homes and businesses. Many are speculative and therefore empty or half full. Of course, the associated jobs are low skill and low paying. Remember, the above required a massive assault on the natural world. Forests were leveled and segmented, stream were diverted above and below ground, wetlands (bogs, swamps, vernal pools, etc) were filled in, and wildlife habitat was decimated.
In 2022, after decades of prodding from environmental/conservation groups, the federal government passed a gigantic infrastructure bill. Thanks, Joe Biden. Part of this money would be used to address abandoned mine lands, mine tunnels and polluted streams. It also would put money aside for project maintenance. Thanks, Senator Casey and Congressman Cartwright. This was/is a good thing. Always follow the money.
When that much money is involved one must be vigilant. Folks with other interests concoct scenarios that tie in mine land, mine tunnel and stream reclamation money. Remember, this money initiated at the federal level. It was then filtered down to Pennsylvania and is being funneled by the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection to various restoration projects. This will be several hundred million dollars per year over 13 years. Governor Shapiro quickly announced the awarding of grant money. He had nothing to do with it. Nor did the DEP. They are simply funnels.
The Jeddo Mine Tunnel, located in Luzerne County, is by far the largest polluter of mine drainage. It empties into the pristine Nescopeck Creek and then into the Susquehanna River. It has done so for decades. No other tunnel comes anywhere near its volume. Was it chosen for remediation? NO! Was it prioritized? No!
What was prioritized was something called the “Lower South Valley Energy Park”. Sounds nice. Sounds progressive. The cost is $1,354,600. When the reclamation is complete it will be the home of Nacero Gasoline Manufacturing. This manufacturing plant proposes to covert a fossil fuel, natural gas, into different types of combustion fuels.
Of course this requires FRACKING. The movers and shakers from Biden to Casey to Shapiro to etc. have not learned anything. They are not listening to their constituents unless their constituents are the gas and oil folks. From beginning to end “fracking” is a dirty, polluting and expensive enterprise. For more information read, Why the Push for Clean Renewable Energy, dated November 12, 2021 and Driving With Blinders On…., dated January 5, 2022 and The Keystone Cops Are Back in Harrisburg, dated July 30 2023. They are Greenfire Coalition Writers’ Forum posts.
As always there is more research and learning to do. Happy Earth Day!