OUR PROJECT SUMMARY
The Lower Lackawanna Valley Citizens Alliance protects Northeastern Pennsylvania’s communities, natural resources, and delicate ecosystems from high-impact development by collaborating with our elected officials and uniting concerned citizens.
Our current focus is the Hydroelectric Power Plant proposed in Ransom TWP on the borders of Duryea and the Austin Heights neighborhood in Old Forge. Known as the “Old Forge Pumped Storage Project”, this proposal seeks to continually recirculate over 650-million gallons of toxic mine water from the Old Forge borehole between two massive, newly constructed reservoirs in a closed-loop system. One reservoir is planned in Duryea along the Lackawanna River, and the other directly above Old Forge at the top of Bald Mountain. An onsite 200-megawatt natural gas generator would run for 13.5 hours a day just to supply the power required for the uphill pumping cycle.
The project is currently seeking approval from FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission). The pre-application document is publicly available by searching for docket #P-15411 on their website.
If approved, Bald Mountain would become unrecognizable. Trees would be clearcut and the mountain would be cleaved open to make room for the penstocks, a nearly two mile long pipeline consisting of two pipes (estimated to be 13.5-feet in diameter at their widest point).
In an attempt to frame this as a green initiative, the project claims that it *could* have the potential to clean up the Lackawanna River by capturing some of the acid mine drainage from the Old Forge borehole.
Acid mine water continuously flows from the Old Forge borehole at a rate of around 65 million gallons per day. The proposed closed-loop system would have an active operating capacity of approximately 650-million gallons. That’s merely 10 days worth of discharge.
How exactly is drawing a one-time fill into a closed-loop system by capturing continuously flowing acid mine discharge going to have a meaningful impact on the health of the Lackawanna River?
When acres of forest are stripped from the mountainside, how will our watershed be affected? Will our towns flood?
When they excavate the earth what will happen to our natural springs? Will our wells run dry?
Is our once heavily mined town structurally sound enough to support this level of Industry? Will this contribute to sinkholes or slope instability?
How will the natural gas generator affect our air quality? Will there be significant noise pollution?
When they decimate the ecosystem, where will the animals flee? Will the threatened species survive?
Are our emergency responders equipped to handle industrial incidents?
Will historical remnants be erased?
What is the public benefit, if any?
And to whom — or what — is this project actually intended to supply power?
Is there a connection between the 524.6 acres of land in Ransom Township recently acquired by Mudiita Land Venture LLC, and the 930-plus acre “AI-ready data and energy storage campus” that was proposed by Mudiita Infra – a "strategic land investment company” – on a now deleted website?
The Lower Lackawanna Valley Citizens Alliance demands answers to these questions, and we will work tirelessly alongside our concerned neighbors and local councils to ensure that we get answers.
Welcome to the fight for responsible land use.
