Abandoned Mine Land Update
Mine cleanup could be linked to inheritance tax
As the 109th Congress approaches its election recess in Washington this week, the Senate's Republican leadership could attach the Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund reauthorization bill, sponsored by Sen. Rick Santorum, to legislation that would eliminate the estate tax, a controversial proposal in this election year and a strategy that could jeopardize passage of the mining fund bill.
Kristen Vanderpool, a spokeswoman for Mr. Santorum, said the senator remains committed to passage of the bill by whatever means is most viable, and this month sent a letter urging its passage to Republican and Democratic Senate leaders. It was signed by 21 other senators from both parties.
"We feel there were certain compromises made on the lower fees and re-mining but it was worth it because the bill will finally provide Pennsylvania with enough funding to fix the worst of the abandoned sites," said Beverly Braverman, executive director of the Mountain Watershed Association in Fayette County, and chair of the Tri-State Citizens Mining Network's Center for Coalfield Justice.
Read the full Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article here.
Read the Roundtable's online AML resources for more background. Or, you can read a message from the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation. |
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