Wyoming Area 
This Whole Thing Was A Tempest In A Teapot 
Thomas Kearns 
President, Wyoming Area School Board, On A Group's Claim He Failed To Pay His 
Taxes 
Gripe About Board Chief Ends Meeting 
A Complaint About An Elected Official's Taxes Is ``not Relevant,'' Says The

3a Haz 
Cul-de-sac 
Suggested 
On Evans St

Tuesday, January 25, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 4A QUICK WORDS: CONSERVANCY MAY DROP
BID FOR BLUE COAL LAND 





Conservancy may drop bid for Blue Coal land &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The chairman of Earth &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Conservancy says the organization may look to purchase land elsewhere if
the legal battle over the sale of Blue Coal land keeps dragging on &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By JIM VAN NOSTRAND &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Times Leader Staff Writer &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WILKES-BARRE -- The Earth Conservancy might withdraw its $14.7 million
offer for 16,000 acres of former Blue Coal land if the protracted legal fight
over the sale doesn't end soon, the conservancy's chairman said Monday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes University President Christopher Breiseth said $14 million in
federal grant money earmarked for the conservancy's land acquisition could be
spent on other mine-scarred lands in Luzerne County. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "If the case drags out much longer, we will have to consider withdrawing
the offer and seeking other land which is more readily available," Breiseth
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Breiseth made the remarks on the witness stand Monday at a Blue Coal
hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court before Judge John Thomas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Local, state and federal governments are challenging the sale, saying the
land would be worth more than $14.7 million if sold piecemeal. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Appraisers for each side have valued the acreage at $12.5 million and $22.4
million, respectively. Proceeds would repay some of Blue Coal's tax debts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Earth Conservancy, an environmental research group created by U.S. Rep.
Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, recently was appropriated a $10 million
Department of Defense grant, Breiseth said. It has yet to be awarded. Counting
another $20 million already approved by the government, that means the
conservancy would have $30 million at its disposal. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Michael Martineau, an attorney for the Tax Division of the U.S. Department
of Justice, immediately asked whether any of the additional $10 million could
be used to increase the conservancy's Blue Coal offer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Very little of that $10 million could be used for land, Breiseth said, and
the conservancy still is insisting on a bulk sale. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "This particular land has been a very heavy burden on the area through its
non-development," Breiseth said. "The Earth Conservancy has life, funding and
federal support behind it. It will go on without this project." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On a related matter, Martineau asked Breiseth if Kanjorski had ever
threatened an Environmental Protection Agency audit of Blue Coal lands if the
Earth Conservancy doesn't get them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Breiseth heard of Kanjorski's alleged remark only by hearsay, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kanjorski, contacted Monday night, said he brought up the issue in an
earlier Blue Coal hearing but not in the context of a threat. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Because Blue Coal went bankrupt in 1976 and subsequent buyers might not
have the money for environmental cleanup projects, that responsibility might
fall on the government if the conservancy bows out, Kanjorski said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We want to make sure that whatever the eventual disposition of this land,
that it is environmentally sound," Kanjorski said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Judge Thomas also asked the three attorneys representing the government if
there had been any political pressure applied on them regarding the questions
they ask of witnesses. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Martineau and Keith Hunter, representing the Luzerne County Tax Claim
Bureau, said no. Alan Harris, representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
said he would have to consult with his client before answering. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Also testifying Monday were Arnold Tesh, a real-estate expert based in
Washington, D.C., and Frank Merkel, a Scranton certified public accountant
working for the Blue Coal trustee. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The hearing resumes at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Conservancy May Drop Bid For Blue Coal Land 
The Chairman Of Earth 
Conservancy Says The 
Organization May Look To 
Purchase Land Elsewhere 
If The Legal Battle Over The 
Sale Of Blue Coal Land

Conservancy May Drop Bid For Blue Coal Land The Chairman Of Earth Conservancy Says The Organization May Look To Purchase Land Elsewhere If The Legal Battle Over The Sale Of Blue Coal Land