[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 27 (Monday, March 1, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S859]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SPECTER:
  S. 3053. A bill to amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation 
Act of 1977 to permit the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund to be used 
for transportation and use of dredged materials for abandoned mine 
reclamation, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition to introduce 
legislation concerning the beneficial use of materials derived from 
river dredging activities. This concept was the subject of a Committee 
Resolution passed by the Committee on Environment and Public Works on 
October 26, 2005.
  This legislation relates directly to the deepening of the Delaware 
River, which was authorized in the 1992 Water Resources Development 
Act. The project deepens from 40 to 45 feet the main shipping channel 
of the Delaware River from Philadelphia and Camden, NJ, to the mouth of 
the Delaware Bay. Deepening the river will help sustain and grow the 
maritime economy of the Delaware Valley region, as the river's current 
depth, which has remained stagnant since 1941, does not accommodate the 
size of most modern ships.
  Despite the tremendous benefit the deepening will have on the region, 
some concerns have been raised regarding the disposal of the dredge 
material that will be produced during the deepening process. Currently, 
the Army Corps of Engineers dredges the river every year to maintain 
the 40-foot depth and deposits materials in Corps-owned sites along the 
river. While capacity remains at these sites, there are compelling 
questions about whether dredge material may have other useful purposes.
  On October 26, 2005, the Committee on Environment and Public Works 
passed a Resolution requesting the Army Corps of Engineers to study the 
beneficial uses of dredge material from the Delaware River, including 
the potential for use in coal and other mine restoration areas. The 
Corps has undertaken this study with funding I secured for the past 
several years and intend to request this year and in the future. The 
outcome of this study could yield tremendous benefits for the Nation, 
including in the Delaware Valley region and in Pennsylvania, where 
there are already proposals to use the dredge materials.
  One such proposal involves using dredge material from the Delaware 
River Deepening project to reclaim abandoned mine lands in northeast 
Pennsylvania. One likely benefit would be stream quality improvement in 
the Pocono Mountains due to a reduction in acid mine flows. This 
proposal would also help advance an economic development project in 
Hazleton, PA, which could potentially create thousands of jobs and 
contribute to the economic development of a region still impacted by 
the decline of the coal industry. The use of dredge material for these 
purposes has been endorsed by numerous local elected officials, state 
legislators and members of the community.
  The legislation I have introduced would authorize the use of funding 
under the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund for the transportation and 
use of dredge material in the reclamation of abandoned mines. 
Specifically, an eligible use of this funding would be for dredging 
material from the Delaware River for use in abandoned mines around the 
State of Pennsylvania. This use could significantly reduce the amount 
of additional dredge material deposited along the river as well as 
advance the mine cleanup effort which has been ongoing for decades in 
Pennsylvania.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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