An excerpt from the linked page:
As we've been attempting to explain, there is actual fuel value in coal mine waste - as exemplified by the Schuylkill waste-to-oil facility.
Another fact that might not be well know is that at least some coal mine refuse can used as power plant fuel - if the appropriate designs and combustion processes are utilized.
The Cambria facility noted herein is just one of more than a dozen such facilities already operating in Pennsylvania. They are generating electricity with coal mine refuse as part of their feed, and cleaning up the environment at the same time.