By Ellen Foreman, Member, Moshannon Group
Between 80,000 and 200,000 retired coal mines blight the landscape in the United States creating significant and unaddressed environmental damage. Thanks to a December decision by Rush Township in Centre County, Black Moshannon Solar, a 252 MW solar project, will move forward on more than 1,500 acres abandoned by the coal industry, which left the land and local waterways contaminated.
The Township adopted a zoning ordinance for solar installations on abandoned mine lands following several years of evaluation, discussion, and public hearings. The Township Supervisors voted two to one to approve the Black Moshannon Solar project after additional public hearings.
Economic and environmental benefits cited
David Roberts, a member of the Sierra Club Moshannon Group and a former resident of Rush Township testified in support of the project. He cited many reasons to move forward including that the land is not able to sustain trees or crops because of mine contamination; it is an open sunny spot, there is an electrical point of interconnection allowing power to be fed to the grid, there are substantial economic benefits to the community, and the project is part of the transformative expansion of renewable energy necessary to achieve 80% carbon free energy by 2030.
Roberts also highlighted the many regulatory agencies that would need to approve the project at various stages, ensuring that environmental concerns like stormwater management would be addressed.
Improvements to contaminated water and land
Ampliform, the developer of the project, has been working with the Moshannon Creek Watershed Association to understand the severity of the acid mine drainage in waterways. With the baseline information from testing that the company provided funding for, Ampliform believes it can better design systems that will prevent further damage to streams and has the potential to improve the quality of Moshannon Creek.
The company has also committed to work on other environmental issues which have surfaced by planting pollinator-friendly ground cover beneath the solar arrays and taking steps to enhance the soil by using lime to neutralize mining contamination and encourage vegetation to grow on the site.
Major win for renewable energy
The Sierra Club Moshannon Group has asked Ampliform representatives to provide additional information about planned tree removal on some of the acreage. The initial phase would not involve the removal of healthy forest; however, the group is awaiting information to better understand plans for additional phases. The company has already committed to planting trees to diminish the visual impact of solar panel arrays which some residents expressed concerns about.
Kelly Forest, co-chair of the Moshannon Group Executive Committee, sees the decision by the Rush Township supervisors to allow the project to move forward as reason to celebrate. “On so many levels, this is a major win for everyone concerned. When the project is complete, we will have added 252 MW of domestic, clean, renewable energy to the grid; this brings focus and support for clean up of acid mine drainage damaging our streams and land; it is making productive use of land that is not farm-able; and it’s bringing economic benefits to the area in terms of jobs and tax revenue for schools.”
Do you want to help bring more solar energy to your community?
As we experienced in Rush Township, community voices can make a big difference! Learn more about Sierra Club PA's statewide efforts to get renewable energy connected to the grid in the next Clean Energy for All webinar on February 25, Here Comes the Sun: How You Can Support Solar Projects in Pennsylvania. Register today!
This blog was included as part of the February 2026 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!