State Sen. Jim Ferlo will introduce legislation offering new protections from longwall mining for affected residents, businesses and communities. Representatives Dave Levdansky and Camille George have been working on this issue for some time, and have sponsored and introduced similar language in the House.

“The time has come to bring true balance between the interests of coal companies and concerns about private property and the environment,” Ferlo said today. “Longwall mining has caused much harm in Pennsylvania because of inadequate safeguards. My legislation provides those safeguards.”

Longwall mining employs the use of machinery that removes coal from massive seams. The result that occurs all too often is that the mine’s roof collapses, which in turn causes the surrounding land to sink — both immediately and in the long term.

This sinking, or subsidence, has damaged or destroyed many western Pennsylvania properties, while disrupting the lives of property owners who often wait years to recover fair compensation for their losses.

Ferlo noted that the federal government has reported 47 deficiencies in Pennsylvania regulations related to longwall mining and has ordered the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to bring the state into compliance with federal regulations.

In concert with DEP’s regulatory changes, Ferlo argues that applicable state laws also need to be amended “so that our regulations and statutes are consistent and easier for our citizens to understand.”

“Based on the experience of my constituents in Southwestern Pennsylvania and the overall evaluation of existing state law that has been in place for nearly a decade, we need to further strengthen Pennsylvania law beyond what DEP has proposed,” Ferlo said.

Ferlo’s Coalfield Water and Property Protection Act offers the following:

  • New provisions to protect historic properties from longwall mining
  • Increased protection for water resources, especially for the restoration and replacement of water supplies harmed or lost by underground mining
  • Increased protections for public roads and public utilities
  • Additional analyses of the potential impacts of longwall mining on private property and structures before permits can be issued by DEP
  • New compensation provisions for business owners whose commercial property is damaged by longwall mining
  • An enhanced timetable for compensation to private property owners who suffer damage from longwall mining