U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, this week announced that Pennsylvania will receive $28.67 million from the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) Program from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
This funding will help further develop previously reclaimed abandoned mine land to make it viable for recreation, business, or energy projects.
One-third of the Nation’s abandoned mine land (AML) is in Pennsylvania, with approximately 43 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties affected by abandoned coal mines.
“Too many Pennsylvania communities still face the environmental hazards of abandoned mine land — polluted waterways, property damage, and underground mine fire,” Casey said. “Thanks to this funding, we can keep cleaning up this land, protecting our environment, and delivering a boost to Pennsylvania local economies with new, good-paying jobs.”
Casey has delivered a total of $488 million to reclaim abandoned mine land in Pennsylvania from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Casey secured $26.6 million in May 2022 to revitalize AML through the AMLER Program.
The STEAM Act allows states more flexibility to use infrastructure law funding to clean up acid mine drainage, which pollutes Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams, and address other long-term impacts of abandoned mine land.
Casey holds hearingon caregiving for veterans
At a joint hearing of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging and Veterans’ Affairs Committee this week, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, examined the vital care provided to American veterans by the Veterans’ Affairs (VA) caregiving support program and touted his efforts to ensure every veteran gets the care that they need.
At the hearing, entitled “Heroes at Home: Improving Services for Veterans and their Caregivers,” witnesses testified about the high quality caregiving that VA provides to millions of veterans in their homes and communities.
The witnesses also spoke about how there is much more to be done to ensure every veteran who needs care can get it.
“One of the most important ways we can uphold our duty to support our veterans and their families is to ensure they’re being taken care of when they get home,” Casey said. “We also need to learn our lessons from what the VA is doing well, which means ensuring that all who provide long-term care support and services, whether they are military or civilian, family members or direct care workers, are valued and compensated for their work.”
Casey invited Peter Townsend, a resident of Susquehanna County, to testify at the hearing. Townsend served in the U.S. Army from 1982 to 1986, lives with multiple sclerosis, and receives caregiving support services through the VA. Peter testified about how helpful VA’s caregiving services have been to support him and his wife, but also about the need to update program eligibility standards and enrollment processes to ensure veterans are not being denied caregiving benefits.
Celebrate with North Branch Land Trust on Butler Preserve Barrens Trail
Barren might not mean what you think it does — at least in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
That’s a lot of color is always a first thought visiting the barrens portion of North Branch Land Trust’s Butler Preserve in Hazle Township. Spring and summer boast the pinks and greens of blooming laurels, and even the dead of winter is speckled green with pines.
“We are about a week out from full bloom for the sheep and mountain laurels, so timing couldn’t be better,” said Emma Thompson, Conservation and Stewardship Coordinator at North Branch Land Trust.
Thompson recently prepared the trail for the event — Nature Photography Day is June 15.
“This is such a unique ecosystem, and we are really looking forward to finding out what visitors see,” she said. “Not only is the flora on full display, but we also anticipate plenty of chances to see stunning butterflies and pollinators. And, for the more keen-eyed, a variety of bird species call this habitat home.”
Thomspon, along with NBLT Marketing and Development Director Karley Stasko, will be leading the June 15 hike. Staff are excited to lead this hike in conjunction with an ongoing research partnership.
Thanks to a PPL Cares Grant, North Branch Land Trust has been able to work with the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program and WeConservePA to identify the full extent of this unique habitat. Hike participants can support their project by submitting their photos for species identification.
“Barrens feels like a misnomer, because the life out here is truly mind-blowing,” Stasko said. “Along this hike you will have chances to see carnivorous plants, pink moths, and trees that love fire! It feels like pure fiction sometimes. Even if you’re not into taking pictures and just want to take it all in, we hope that you’ll join us in this truly special ecosystem.”
The Butler Preserve Nature Photography Day Hike is free and open to all ages. Participants will meet in the Greater Hazleton Rails to Trails Parking lot on E Broad St and begin the approximately 1-mile hike promptly at 10:30 a.m.
Staff stresses that, while no photography experience is necessary, participants should be aware that this hike leaves the paved trail into some elevation and rocky areas. Participants who pre-register at nblt.org/events will receive a conservation gift.
Shapiro’s budget proposal invests an additional $2.6M to address, prevent maternal mortality
Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen and Secretary of Human Services Dr. Val Arkoosh this week met with representatives from all five of Pennsylvania’s stand-alone birthing centers to highlight the Shapiro Administration’s work to improve maternal health and care for mothers and children, especially among people of color.
Maternal health is a national concern, with the rate of pregnancy-associated deaths and serious medical conditions during delivery on the rise in recent years. In 2020, 83 pregnancy-associated deaths per 100,000 live births occurred in Pennsylvania. Complications during labor and delivery are also a concern in Pennsylvania, with 89 hospitalizations per 10,000 deliveries taking place between 2016-2022.
Black women are nearly two times more likely to die or experience unexpected complications during pregnancy or in the first year after pregnancy, or have a serious health condition during delivery.
Mental health conditions, which include drug-related overdose deaths, were the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in 2020, demonstrating the need for more behavioral health care services for pregnant and postpartum women.
“As a practicing pediatrician, I saw the interconnectedness of maternal, child, and family health and wellness every day,” Bogen said. “Every death of a new mother impacts their entire community and this continues to disproportionately impact Black mothers in Pennsylvania and across the country.”
In the 2023-2024 budget, Gov. Josh Shapiro secured $2.3 million to implement recommendations for preventing maternal mortality. The 2024-25 proposed budget doubles down on that work by investing an additional $2.6 million to address and prevent maternal mortality, especially among Black mothers.
In April, the DOH began accepting applications for $1.8 million in grants for community-based organizations to develop and lead regional coalitions to select and implement recommendations from the 2024 Pennsylvania Maternal Mortality Review Committee report to improve maternal health locally. Applications were accepted through April 30, 2024.
“As an obstetric anesthesiologist, I’ve seen first-hand the necessity of holistic care and support networks that help mothers and their newborns through this consequential time,”Arkoosh said. “The Shapiro-Davis Administration is committed to working with maternal health providers, advocates, and people with lived experience to help ease barriers to care so all Pennsylvanians can get the care they need.”
Additional maternal health achievements include launching the new Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Division of Maternal Health, which supports the administration of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee.
Watro to host Town Hallmeeting for veterans on June 20
In his continuing effort to assist local veterans and their families, Rep. Dane Watro, R-Hazleton, will host a town hall meeting for veterans in partnership with the American Legion.
The town hall will take place on Thursday, June 20, from 8 a.m.-9 a.m. at Watro’s district office in Hazleton, 145. East Broad St., Suite 1. Light refreshments will be served.
“I am pleased to be giving veterans and their dependents an opportunity to discuss services and benefit programs available to them with a department service officer from the American Legion,” said Watro. “Any veteran with questions about his or her benefits is encouraged to attend and have them answered.”
Registration for the town hall is requested, but not required, by calling Watro’s office at — 570-453-1344.
In addition, a U.S. Department of Military Affairs mobile veterans center will be parked out front of the office from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to provide counseling services to veterans and make referrals.
Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
