Citizens Coal Council has released a new policy report, Act 54 and Longwall Mining in Pennsylvania: Impacts, Oversight, and the Case for Reform, prepared by Schmid & Company, Inc.
Drawing on six Act 54 reporting cycles, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection records, and decades of experience from coalfield residents, the report examines whether the state is adequately protecting homes, water supplies, streams, wetlands, and communities from the impacts of longwall mining.
The analysis identifies persistent shortcomings in the state’s approach, including inadequate prediction of stream damage, lengthy and poorly documented restoration efforts, outdated tracking systems, limited enforcement, and a lack of transparency about whether mining-related damage is ever fully repaired.
The report also offers detailed recommendations for reform, including stronger impact tracking, modernized public data systems, improved stream and wetland protections, clearer restoration deadlines, greater accountability for mine operators, and adequate funding for future Act 54 reports.
At its core, the report calls on Pennsylvania to ensure that Act 54’s promise of “you damage it, you fix it” becomes a meaningful and enforceable standard—not simply an aspiration.
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