Celebrate new True Pigments facility at the groundbreaking June 29
For Immediate Release
Millfield, Ohio—The groundbreaking for the first phase of the True Pigments Acid Mine Drainage Treatment and Pigment Production Facility will occur at 10 a.m. on June 29 in Millfield, Ohio. Project partners Rural Action, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Ohio University, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) and the US Department of Interior will participate. ODNR Director Mary Mertz and Rural Action CEO Debbie Phillips will offer remarks.
Anyone who has played a role in the development of this exciting project or has followed along with True Pigments as a social enterprise of Rural Action is welcome to attend this free event. Bring your own shovel if you would like to participate in the ground breaking! The site is located near Millfield on the Truetown Discharge, the worst acid mine drainage (AMD) discharge in the state of Ohio.
Rural Action has been working in partnership with ODNR, Ohio University and OSMRE for decades to restore local waterways and address the impacts of pre-regulatory coal mining. The True Pigments project is an innovative approach, which will treat the AMD discharge, and produce a marketable commodity (iron oxide pigment), to be financially sustainable and support reclamation at a much larger scale.
Acid mine drainage from a complex of underground coal mines will be turned into a high quality iron oxide pigment that will be sold for use in many products, including paint, dyes, and construction products. As soon as treatment begins, the last seven miles of Sunday Creek will be restored (prior restoration work has resulted in significant improvements upstream from the discharge). True Pigments’ goal is to support the return of a thriving biological community complete with all the fish and aquatic creatures that would typically be found in our local streams while providing opportunities for employment in the region.
True Pigments is a collaboration among Rural Action, Ohio University, Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Division of Mineral Resources Management, and the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, that leverages skills in engineering, art, watershed restoration, and community development to build a social enterprise committed to the quadruple bottom line of people, planet, prosperity, and purpose. Learn more at www.truepigments.com.
The Truetown Discharge is located near Millfield, Ohio, on approximately 50 acres owned by Rural Action. Design, engineering, and construction of the new facility is being funded through the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program (AMLER) of the OSMRE. These funds are to be used “for the reclamation of abandoned mine lands in conjunction with economic and community development and reuse goals.” The AMLER program provides grants to the six states and three Tribes with the greatest amount of unfunded abandoned mine land problems for projects that leverage mine land reclamation with local economic development.
Find more information about the groundbreaking and RSVP on Eventbrite. There is no defined address for this location, but guests can enter FV2W+F5Q Millfield, OH 45761 into Google Maps or use the coordinates 39°27’04.4″N 82°06’16.2″W. It is located on Truetown Road shortly after its intersection with Oregon Ridge Road.
Rural Action is a regional community development organization with a 32-county footprint working with members and community leaders on a range of quality of life, environmental, and economic projects across rural Appalachian Ohio. Its mission is to build a more just economy by developing the region’s assets in environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways. Learn more about Rural Action at www.ruralaction.org.
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CONTACT
Alexandria Polanosky
Media and Communications Director
740.677.4047 ext. 140