Coal refuse from operations such as Panther Creek could be turned into clean energy and produce jobs.

Members of the Pennsylvania Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee met in Jim Thorpe on Tuesday to discuss aspects of the coal refuse to energy industry, hear accounts from sources regarding the benefits and pitfalls of the coal refuse to energy industry, and touring the Panther Creek Energy Plant, which processes coal refuse.The group included committee Chairman Gene Yaw, R-Bradford/Lycoming/Sullivan/Susquehanna/Union and Minority Chairman John Yudichak, D-Carbon/Luzerne, along with Sen. David Argall, R-Berks/Schuylkill, and Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon.The focus of the meeting revolved around continued support for coal refuse, and how the practice can benefit the region with environmental repair, new employment and more."Economics and the environment are not mutually exclusive terms. This is a classic example of something that helps the economy, and is a huge benefit to the environment," Yaw said.George Ellis, executive director of Anthracite Region Independent Power Producers Association, a trade association that represents the interests of the coal refuse to energy industry, led the discussion on the history of the practice, details on the problems the industry currently faces, and suggestions to help alleviate the problems.The industry is built upon using coal refuse, which is a combination of low-quality coal, rock shale, slate, clay and other materials, and converting it to electricity.Before the development of the technology that allows plants to use the coal refuse, it was stored in large piles surrounding the coal-burning plants.Of the 800-plus piles in the state, over 50 are aflame to some degree, and even more leak acid mine water and other detrimental chemicals, causing environmental damage."I don't think there's any question about it, if you can have an industry that really uses waste from a longtime problem area as a feedstock, that's a plus," Yaw said.Furthermore, running these plants at peak efficiency could expand the job market throughout the state, and at local plants like Panther Creek."They produce good-paying jobs. The average wage of a job in the coal refuse industry is $70,000 a year. That's a great job in northeastern Pennsylvania. That's a great job anywhere in Pennsylvania," Yudichak said.The only real problem is rooted in a competitive energy market, where cheaper overall prices for energy are the primary focus."Lower electricity prices also undercut the economics of a facility like this, which does more than just generate power, which also does environmental remediation," said Sean Lane, executive vice president of governmental affairs for Olympus Powers.Transportation is also a major factor here, as the cost to truck coal refuse can add up quickly, especially once plants deplete their local piles."That's one of challenges. Transportation is a cost, and the more successful you are closer to your plant, the farther afield you need to go to collect," Lane said.Tax credits could help alleviate some of the burden, but it will take a joint effort in Harrisburg, along with federal cooperation, to allow for the continued success of these plants."Just this past year, Democrats and Republicans worked together to make sure that there was a coal refuse tax credit, $7.5 million available to plants like Panther Creek, to keep the operations, to keep the jobs going, to keep the positive impact that they have on Pennsylvania going well into the future. Next year, that tax credit will be $10 million," Yudichak said.A renewable energy program that actually cleans up the detritus from previous mining efforts would be a great help to the local industry, along with the rest of the state."I don't think there's any question about it, if you can have an industry that really uses waste from a longtime problem area as a feedstock, that's a plus," Yaw said."As the chairman of the committee, I'm sure we're going to take a lot of this information back to Harrisburg, and we'll consider it when the industry comes to it and says, 'We need help with this.' "