Program

The AMR Conference Planning Committee is working on developing a great program this year! Expect some changes and please stay tuned…

Tuesday, October 24th – Altoona Grand Hotel

7:00—7:55Registration & Refreshments (Ballroom B & Foyer)Breakfast for Overnight Guests (Hotel Restaurant)
7:55—8:00Boarding for Offsite Field Tour (Foyer Entrance)Please be prompt!
8:00—3:30Field Tour of AMD/AML Sites (Greater Altoona Area)Boxed lunch provided
3:30Return to Altoona Grand HotelDinner on your own or join NASLR (additional fee/limited quantity)
4:30NASLR Dinner Bus departs Altoona Grand HotelReturn to Altoona Grand Hotel at 10:00 PM

Wednesday, October 25th – Altoona Grand Hotel

7:00—8:55Registration, Refreshments & Setup Exhibits (Ballroom B & Foyer) ; Breakfast for Overnight Guests (Hotel Restaurant)
9:00—9:15Wednesday Welcome NASLR President Scot May and Andy McAllister WPCAMR Regional Coordinator (Ballroom C)
9:15—9:30Keynote Address PA DEP Deputy Secretary for the Office of Active and Abandoned Mine Operations, John Stefanko (Ballroom C)
9:30—10:10“Cooperative AMR Operations & Comprehensive Managed Watershed Planning”, Todd Coleman, Minetech Engineers, Mike Haney, PA DEP, Branden Deihl, Earthwise Consulting LLC (Ballroom C)
10:15—10:25Break & Visit Exhibits (Ballroom B & Foyer)
—————————– AMR TRACK 1 (Ballroom A)AMR TRACK 2 (Kittanning)AMR TRACK 3 (Allegheny)NASLR TRACK (Ballroom C)
10:30—11:10“Updates on AML/AMD Grant Program”, Jon Smoyer, PA DAP, BAMR“Early Discoveries and Development of Passive Treatment Systems”, Jeff Skousen, Bob Kleinmann, Bob Hedin, Bob Nairn, Tom Wildeman, and Jim Gusek“Evaluating the Effectiveness of Various Aggregate Cleaning Methods”, Neil Wolfe and Olivia Weaver, Hedin Environmental“Vintondale AMR – Refuse Removal Pictorial presentation”, Dean Baker, PA DEP
11:15—11:55“2 CFR 200 a Federal 3-headed Dragon or Not a Monster at All?”, Branden Deihl, Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds“Review Of A Feasibility Study For A Revegetation Program; Section 40802 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law”, Thomas D. Shope, USDOI, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement“Abandoned Coal Mine Mitigation in Artesian Conditions”, Joshua Zimmermann, Brierley Associates“Rocks and Minerals of the Energy Transition and Future Reclamation Concerns”, Vishnu Srinivasaraghavan, Illinois Central Management Services
12:00—12:55Lunch (Tropical Courtyard)
AMR TRACK 1 (Ballroom A)AMR TRACK 2 (Kittanning)AMR TRACK 3 (Allegheny)NASLR TRACK (Ballroom C)
1:00—1:40PART 1: “Internal Controls & Red Flags for Federal Funds”, Kate Bell and Rene Olivas, Department of Interior, Office of Inspector General“Tioga River Watershed Restoration / Consumptive Use Mitigation Through an Active Mine Drainage Treatment Plant Project”, Andrew King, Susquehanna River Basin Commission, Thomas Clark, Kleinfelder“From Water to Sediment: Hidden Phosphorus in Streams Impacted by Mine Drainage and Wastewater”, Peter M. Smyntek*, Carter Cavalier, John Pawlak, and Megan Marling, St Vincent College“Blue Stone Project”, Jeff Meitrott, PA DEP
1:45—2:25PART 2: “Internal Controls & Red Flags for Federal Funds”, Kate Bell and Rene Olivas, Department of Interior, Office of Inspector General“High-volume rain events disproportionately increase erosion of waste material from an abandoned coal mine dump”, Nathaniel Shaffer, Washington & Jefferson College“Advanced Carbon Products made from Coal”, Rudolph Olson III, CONSOL Innovations LLCNASLR Award Winners and Scholarship Recipient Presentations
2:30—2:40Break & Visit Exhibits (Ballroom B & Foyer)
2:45— 3:25“Assessment of Opportunities for Grid-Scale Solar Development on Previously Impacted Mine Lands in Pennsylvania”, Robert C. Young, PA DEP; Cassidy Robinson and Jennifer Vaughn, LaBella Associates, PC“Successful Mined Land Reforestation Using ARRI’s Forest Reclamation Approach”, Eric Oliver, Green Forests WorkConcurrent (TBA)“District Mining Operations: Treatment Trust Program”, DJ Chverchkov, PA-DEP
2:30— 4:10“Reclamation of Refuse Piles using Fluidized Bed Combustion Ash”, Greg Aaron, PA DEP (Ballroom C)
5:00— 6:00Cash Bar & Networking (Tropical Courtyard)
6:00— 9:00AMR Dinner (Tropical Courtyard)

Thursday, October 26th – Altoona Grand Hotel

7:30—9:25   Registration, Refreshments & Setup Exhibits (Ballroom B & Foyer) ; Breakfast for Overnight Guests (Hotel Restaurant) / NASLR Business Meeting (Kittanning)
9:30—10:15 Thursday Welcome & “The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act AML Program”, Tom Clarke, Interstate Mining Compact Commission (Ballroom C)
10:15—10:25 Break & Visit Exhibits (Ballroom B & Foyer)
————————AMR TRACK 1 (Ballroom A)AMR TRACK 2 (Kittanning)AMR TRACK 3 (Allegheny)NASLR TRACK (Ballroom C)
10:30—11:10“Environmental Justice in Pennsylvania’s Mining Communities”, Jordi Comas, PA DEP“Active treatment options for acid mine drainage”, Robert Loken, Envirogen Technologies, Inc.“AMDTreat 6.0 Overview”, Jeffrey Ream, OSMRE“Benfits of LRD AML Coordination, Illinois Experience & 2024 Conference Preview” Victoria M. Broomhead, Illinois DNR
11:15—11:55“Coal to Solar: Redevelopment of Mine Lands, Site Planning & Engineering Considerations”, Sami Pretzel, Kleinfelder, Inc.VACANT”PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat: An AMDTreat Tool to Size & Predict Water Quality for the Passive & Active Treatment of Mine Drainage”, Brad Shultz, OSMRENASLR Business Meeting
12:00—12:55AMR Lunch (Tropical Courtyard)
AMR TRACK 1 (Ballroom C)AMR TRACK 2 (Ballroom A)AMR TRACK 3 (Allegheny)AMR TRACK 4 (Kittanning)
1:00—1:40”Future Options for OM&R of AMD Treatment Systems”, Joe Pizarchik, PIZARCHIK ADVANCEMENTS“Restorative Job Opportunities in Natural Infrastructure”, Amanda Woodrum, Reimagine Appalachia; Jessica Arriens, National Wildlife Federation; Thomas Guentner, Landforce“Data Collection and Interpretation for Successful AMD Treatment Projects”, Cliff Denholm, Stream Restoration Inc.VACANT
1:45—2:25“Watershed Cooperative Agreement and the Passive Treatment Protection Program”, Robbie Fulton, OSMRE“Rehabilitation of 23 year old Vertical Flow Pond and Wetland System used to treat AMD”, John Klamut, PE, CFM, MS, GAI Consultants, Inc.“Backbone Mountain Solar Project”, Luke Wildfire, Wallace MontgomeryVACANT
2:30—2:40AMR Break & Visit Exhibits (Ballroom B & Foyer)
2:45— 3:25VACANT“Transforming Environmental Awareness: Empowering Communities to Combat Abandoned Mine Drainage Pollution through VR Technology”, Laura Rinehimer and Shawnese Taylor, EPCAMR“Unlocking the Future of AML and AMD Reclamation with Modern Project Delivery Methods”, Denny Strickland and John Brawner, Resource Environmental SolutionsVACANT
3:30-4:10“Making BIL Better Through an AML/AMD Research Center”, Bob Hedin, Hedin Environmental (Ballroom C)
4:15— 4:45End of Conference & Take Down Exhibits