Western Pennsylvania still carries the bill for a century of coal mining that ended before anyone had to clean up after it. The Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (WPCAMR) has spent more than four decades chipping away at that bill, and its next quarterly board meeting is Wednesday, November 4, in Clarion. Infrastructure money and the state’s abandoned mine program are at the top of the agenda.
WPCAMR will hold its quarterly board meeting in person on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Clarion County Conservation District in Clarion. Topics include the latest on federal infrastructure funding and other funding sources for mine reclamation, an update from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (BAMR), and the coalition’s advocacy work. The draft agenda, minutes and staff reports are posted on WPCAMR’s website, and the coalition says input from members and partners is welcome.
What is on the table
The money conversation is the big one. The 2021 federal infrastructure law sent an unprecedented amount of funding to states for abandoned mine land cleanup, and Pennsylvania, with more abandoned mine problems than any other state, has a large share riding on how that money is spent and what comes after it. Board members will hear the latest on that funding and other sources, along with an update from BAMR on its programs.
The meeting packet is already online, including the draft agenda, the August 12 minutes, the treasurer’s report, and reports from WPCAMR’s regional and watershed coordinators. Anyone planning to attend can read up before they arrive.
The county conservation districts across the bituminous coal fields of western Pennsylvania that make up WPCAMR, a coalition formed in 1982.
Who WPCAMR is
WPCAMR is a nonprofit coalition of 24 county conservation districts, each with a delegate on its board. It works with watershed volunteers, technical experts, industry, schools and government agencies to reclaim land and streams damaged by historic coal mining, with a particular focus on places where reclamation has been slow to arrive. The coalition runs on two full time staff: Regional Coordinator Andy McAllister and Watershed Coordinator Anne Daymut, whose reports are part of every quarterly packet. General membership is open to organizations and individuals.
Looking ahead to June
WPCAMR is also pointing people toward the 2027 Pennsylvania Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference, scheduled for June 6 through 10, 2027, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. It is a long way off, but worth a spot on the calendar now. This fall’s conference ran October 20 to 22, so the 2027 gathering moves to early summer.
Why it matters for the rest of us
Abandoned mine drainage is still one of the largest sources of stream pollution in the Upper Ohio basin, turning creeks orange from the Conemaugh to the Casselman to the Mon. Every treatment system that keeps running, and every new one that gets built, depends on steady funding and the kind of coordination WPCAMR provides between districts, watershed groups and the state. Quarterly meetings are where that coordination actually happens. If your watershed group has a mine drainage project, or wishes it did, two hours in Clarion is a good investment. Bring questions, and maybe a water sample story or two.
This article is based on a meeting announcement from the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation and information on the coalition’s website. Current as of October 27, 2026.
