A Public-Infrastructure Covenant
Commitments That Can Be Measured, Reported, and Enforced
Community support should be earned through accurate information, participation in studies, direct answers, enforceable protections, measurable benefits, and long-term accountability.
REA proposes the following commitments for community discussion and incorporation into appropriate agreements and permit conditions.
The Proposed Community Covenant
Twelve Proposed Commitments
Water, Environment, and Safety
Water and Borehole Accountability
REA's Old Forge Borehole Water-Recovery Program, baseline conditions, monitoring, public performance reporting, corrective action, and long-term operating responsibility.
Private Wells and Groundwater
Owner-consented baseline testing, monitoring triggers, rapid-response sampling, causation review, and a defined remedy if a project-caused impact is established.
Independent Safety Review
Qualified review of dams, mine voids, reservoirs, liners, seepage, blasting, excavation, instrumentation, and emergency planning.
Environmental Protection
Avoidance, minimization, mitigation, current resource review, permit compliance, restoration, and transparent reporting.
Emergency Readiness
Coordination with fire, EMS, police, county emergency management, hospitals, and applicable dam-safety and incident-response agencies.
Construction and Land
Transparent Routes and Land Needs
Maps and land requirements released at the level appropriate to safety, privacy, negotiations, and regulatory process.
Construction Controls
Traffic routes, road-condition surveys, repair, blasting notice, vibration monitoring, dust, noise, work hours, and complaint response.
Local Benefits
Local Workforce and Suppliers
Apprenticeship, applicable prevailing-wage requirements, local outreach, supplier registration, and periodic reporting.
Host-Community Benefits
Negotiated municipal and county benefits tied to actual project effects, services, tax treatment, and enforceable agreements.
Information and Long-Term Accountability
One Public Project Definition
A current component map, 184 MW / 1,840 MWh facts, status date, and a clear description of project components and associated facilities.
Public Information and Independent Monitoring
A meeting calendar, question tracker, study register, document library, environmental dashboard, and third-party review where appropriate.
Financial Assurance
Dedicated support for treatment operations and maintenance, corrective action, environmental obligations, emergency response, and decommissioning as required.
Local Government and County Engagement
Municipalities and Counties
REA's outreach includes Ransom Township, Duryea Borough, Old Forge Borough, Lackawanna County, Luzerne County, conservation districts, emergency-service organizations, affected landowners, and other municipalities or counties identified by the current project footprint and facilities.
The project record identifies the purpose and outcome of each meeting or communication, including any specific commitments or statements of support.
Watershed and River Partners
Local Voices in the Record
The project history includes engagement with watershed and mine-reclamation organizations and local river advocates. Interviews, correspondence, and meeting records provide direct access to these perspectives.
Bernie McGurl expresses his support for the Old Forge Project.
Public Reporting
Public Reporting
REA proposes to develop a public question tracker, meeting calendar, and environmental reporting dashboard as part of its community commitments. Current project questions can be submitted through Contact REA, and public filings and meeting materials are available through FERC & Public Documents.
Public Questions and Response Standard
How Questions Are Handled
Questions will be categorized, assigned, dated, and answered from an identified source. When the answer is not yet known, REA will state the study, decision, agency action, or agreement needed to answer it.
Material corrections will be posted with the prior statement, correction date, reason, and the basis for the change so the public can see how project information changed.