Bill Rinaldi’s Hazleton Creek Properties – Fast Facts

  • The mission of Hazleton Creek Properties (HCP) is to improve the quality of life for residents of the Greater Hazleton community. 

 

  • HCP is currently engaged in a major mine reclamation project that, once completed, will improve the health and safety of Hazleton and enhance the community’s natural beauty.

 

  • Unlike previous mine reclamation efforts in Hazleton – such as the Cranberry Creek Gateway project – there are no state taxpayer funds in the HCP project.

 

  • HCP has already completed an important phase of the transportation infrastructure component of the project through the design and construction of a loading and unloading facility with the capacity to handle up to 80 rail cars.

 

  • The HCP reclamation site is an abandoned mine site located directly off Interstate 81 and bounded by Routes 924, 309 and Broad Street.  The site has been badly impacted by past deep and surface mining practices and includes more than 277 acres of un-reclaimed, abandoned mine pits and spoil piles.

 

  • Portions of the site (approximately 50 acres) were previously used for disposal of municipal and industrial waste in several mine pits.  The site was designated a Brownfield Action Team (BAT) site by Governor Rendell for priority attention for state grants and permit action.  It is a designated Special Industrial Area (SIA) under Act 2 of the Land Recycling Program), giving the site priority attention for remediation. 

 

  • The site has the capacity to accept over 10 million cubic yards of residual materials to complete the site reclamation.  HCP is authorized to conduct the site reclamation/remediation using DEP-approved residual materials, including regulated fill, clean-fill from construction activities and river dredge.  

 

  • HCP is committed to protecting the environment, first and foremost.   The company is standing behind its commitment through the following initiatives:

 

    • Protecting surrounding environments and preserving natural resources.
    • Reducing environmental nuisance and preventing pollution risk related to all of its activities.
    • Complying with all regulatory, legislative, contractual or other obligations, and anticipating them whenever possible.
    • Striving for outstanding health and safety performance in the workplace
    • Identifying and limiting industrial and environmental on-site risks
    • Implementing actions aimed at improving the life of local communities

 

  • Once the primary site is reclaimed, HCP will engage in a larger effort to reclaim 250 acres of abandoned mine land adjacent to the city of Hazleton upon which the company plans to build the Hazleton Performing Arts Center. 
  • The Center will occupy approximately 80 acres in the middle of the site with other commercial development to the north and south.

 

  • The Hazleton Performing Arts Center will be a 20,000 seat facility (16,000 fixed, 4,000 lawn) with state-of-the-art offices, crew and dressing/lounge space for artists and their staff.

 

  • The HCP project is one of the most environmentally vetted and scrutinized of its kind in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

 

  • HCP’s new DEP Permit Application seeks to use dry flue gas desulfurization (FGD) materials as a source of fill for the numerous, abandoned deep pit mines that pose a continuing health and safety threat to area residents. 

 

  • FGD is a widely used technology that removes sulfur dioxide from the exhaust flue gases in power plants that burn coal or oil to produce steam for the steam turbines that drive their electricity generators.  FGD materials have been successfully used in other mine reclamation projects around the country.

 

  • The FGD material would be beneficially used for mine reclamation on a 53-acre portion of the HCP property that already has DEP approval under the Coal Ash Placement Area approval to accept coal ash. 

 

  • The designated area consists entirely of abandoned, un-reclaimed mine lands including five very deep, steep sided pits – some with sheer vertical high walls – and some spoil piles.

 

  • This site area was previously classified by the DEP Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation as a Priority 1 problem due to the dangerous safety hazards posed by the severe high walls and deep strip pits, which are within close proximity of downtown Hazleton – and children, ATV enthusiasts, hikers and many others.

 

  • When completed, HCP will have eliminated 1.2 miles of very dangerous high walls and deep strip pits that contribute substantial quantities of acid mine drainage to the mine pool and eventually to surface waters in Pennsylvania.

 

  • The HCP project will not only eliminate a serious public safety risk, but will also establish an attractive, developable property. 

 

  • There is also precedent for the HCP project: the DEP has already issued two other General Permits authorizing the use of FGD material combined with coal ash for mine reclamation, which underscores DEP’s position that the use of these materials in mine reclamation work is protective of public health, safety, and the environment.  The two other permittees authorized to beneficially use FGD for mine reclamation are PPL and PA Electric Association (for their members).
  • HCP’s application includes a detailed study performed by Professor Barry Scheetz of Penn State University that confirms that FGD in combination with coal ash is – from both a geotechnical and environmental basis – a preferred material for use in mine reclamation.

 

  • After more than four years of operation and acceptance of over 1.5 million cubic yards of material, DEP has documented that the HCP project has not caused any adverse impact on public health or the environment.