There are more than 140 acid mines across the state and a Pennsylvania-based company is the first worldwide to develop a program that takes the drainage from the mines and turns it into useful products.

Winner Global, an energy and environmental service, came up with a way to generate products, not waste, out of what is extracted from acid mine drainage.

Current systems produce a wasteful sludge that pollutes our environment.

This new process takes the liquid and removes the metals and sulfates in it, producing a high-quality water.

The remaining chemicals are recovered and used to make useful products like fertilizers.

Not only is it helping to create a green environment, it is also creating jobs and helping our local economy.