Proposed coal mines

From SourceWatch
Revision as of 16:01, 28 February 2011 by Cshearer19 (talk | contribs) (SW: →‎North Canton Strip Mine (Illinois): - fix grammar)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

{{#badges: CoalSwarm}}

Bear Run Mine (Indiana)

Peabody Energy plans to open Bear Run Mine south of Dugger in Sullivan County, Indiana. Company officials say they have agreements to supply more than 90 million tons of coal, and they will start surface mining at Bear Run in 2009. Production is expected to be 8 million tons of coal per year. The mine will employ 350 workers. The plant will produce high-BTU, high-sulfur coal for scrubber-equipped generating plants.[1]

Buckskin Mine (Wyoming)

Buckskin Mine is a surface coal mining operation in Campbell County, Wyoming, operated by Kiewit Mining Group and owned by Kiewit Peter Sons. As of May 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is considering issuing a coal lease to Kiewit Mining to extend the life of the mine. The consideration is the result of a March 24, 2006, application made by Kiewit Mining Properties, Inc. to lease the Federal coal in the Hay Creek II Tract, northwest of the Buckskin Mine and approximately 12 miles north of Gillette, Wyoming. The Hay Creek II Tract contains 419.04 acres, and Kiewit estimates that the current tract includes approximately 54.1 million tons of recoverable coal.[2]

Casselman Mine (Maryland)

Casselman Mine is a proposed underground coal mining operation in Casselman, Maryland, that will be owned by Maryland Energy Resources LLC, a subsidiary of the Indiana, Pennsylvia-based Joseph Peles Coal Company. The mine will comprise more than 4,600 acres and include 15 million tons of recoverable coal.[3] For more details, see Casselman Mine.

Centralia coal mine (Washington)

Chuitna River mine (Alaska)

The Chuitna River mine is a proposed coal strip mine 45 miles west of Anchorage on the Cook Inlet. PacRim Coal hopes to extract 300 million tons of coal over 25 years, making the mine Alaska’s largest coal strip mine and the third largest in the United States.[4]

Coal Hollow Mine, (Alton Coal Development) (Utah)

In August 2010, the Utah Board of Oil, Gas & Mining gave its approval for this strip mine near the tiny town of Alton, Utah. Barring a legal challenge, only a multi-million dollar reclamation bond stands in the way of the mine's opening. The mine would be 10 miles from the Bryce Canyon National Park. The mine is expected to produce about 2 million tons of coal a year, with coal trucks rolling steadily through the tiny town of Panguitch just west of Bryce Canyon. According to an Associated Press story about the ruling, the company had contributed $10,000 to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert's election campaign prior to the board's consideration of the matter and voiced frustration with how long the approval process was taking.[5]Coal Hollow Mine is a proposed coal mine in Kane County, Utah, approximately three miles south of the town of Alton. Alton Coal Development, LLC proposes to surface mine about 2,000,000 tons of fee coal annually for approximately three years.[6] The permit was approved by the State of Utah on November 11, 2009.[7] The mine would operate 6 days per week, 24 hours per day. Coal would be transported from the loadout via 43-ton coal trucks. Trucks would travel from Alton to Highway 89, north to US 20, east to I-15, south on I-15 to Cedar City and from Cedar City west 10 miles to a proposed rail loadout. Approximately 190 truck trips per day, 5 days per week would be required to handle the 2,000,000 tons of annual coal production.[6] In November 2009 the State of Utah, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, under Director John Baza, released an application approval with conditions for Alton Coal Development to mine 2,000,000 tons of coal per year for approximately three years from the Coal Hollow Mine. The state approval is separate from any applications to mine on public lands nearby, which is going through a separate federal approval process.[7] The Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining says Alton Coal will get an operating permit as soon as it posts a $6 million reclamation bond, and that the Coal Hollow Mine will exhaust the private reserves in three to five years, when the company hopes to mine adjacent federal lands.[8] In October 2010, a Garfield County official and the city manager in Panguitch said they're among supporters of the coal mine. Garfield County Commissioner Maloy Dodds told an audience at a public hearing that he expects the Alton Coal project will "create less dust than a farmer plowing a field." Panguitch City Manager Allen Henrie says the mine would bring needed jobs to the area. Plans call for 30 pits to be dug, with each exposed pit covered and re-seeded as a new one is opened.[9] Residents of southern Utah have expressed opposition to the project due to the constant traffic (up to 153 round trips a day) and the accompanying congestion and pollution, posing a risk to local businesses and public health. In addition residents are concerned about the environmental and health effects of strip mining, including water pollution from chemically treating coal, deforestation, and risks from coal waste and coal slurry dams.[10] According to an op-ed in The Salt Lake Tribune, during a public hearing held in Panguitch on Oct. 6, 2010, the Utah Division of Air Quality (DAQ) admitted it would not install air-monitoring stations at the mining site to check air quality and visibility, due to lack of funds. However, Alton Coal “volunteered” to put in two air-monitoring stations. When DAQ was asked who would be checking these stations and reporting the findings to DAQ, it admitted the coal company would be doing the monitoring. The op-ed also said particulate matter (PM10) emissions from this mine will be 100 tons a year, and the Utah Division of Air Quality is not addressing PM 2.5, a more toxic air pollutant because of its small size. Pollution and fine coal dust (PM 2.5) will be emitted from the coal trucks, but no air-quality monitoring will be done along the transportation route. According to the author, Alton Coal Development handed Gov. Gary Herbert a $10,000 campaign check shortly before a permit for this mine was authorized.[11]

Crow Reservation (Montana)

In April 2008, operators of the Absaloka Mine in southeastern Montana proposed to extend the mine 3,660 acres onto the neighboring Crow reservation. Approximately 77 million tons of coal would be recovered and mining would be extended until about 2023. Westmoreland Resources owns the land and the Crow tribe owns the coal. Royalty and coal production taxes bring substantial income to the tribe, for example in 2006, the tribe earned $16.6 million.[12] The mine would serve a proposed $8 billion coal-to-liquids plant.[13]

Highvale coal mine (Alberta)

The Highvale coal mine is located south of Lake Wabamun, about 70 kilometres (43 miles) west of Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada and has been in operation since 1970. The Highvale mine is one of three TransAlta-owned surface coal mines. It is also Canada’s largest surface strip coal mine, covering a total of 12,140 hectares.

Currently, there are a total of five pits that are being actively mined (pits 03, 04, 05, 06 and 07). These surface coal mining operations involve removing rock layers to expose and extract coal reserves. As of May 2010 Highvale operated four draglines for this purpose.

The company reports that a total of 13 million tonnes of low-sulphur-content thermal-grade coal are mined at Highvale annually and delivered to TransAlta’s Sundance and Keephills thermal generating plants. When the Keephills 3 thermal plant is completed, it will require an additional 1.8 millions tonnes each year to be mined at the site.

Since the mine's opening in 1970, TransAlta has reclaimed 1,310 hectares of the 4,362 hectares of land that have been mined at Highvale. The company states that "We reclaim land to a state that is equivalent to or better than it was before our mining activities, or restore it for other uses. When complete, the reclaimed land supports a variety of land uses such as agriculture, woodlands, wildlife habitat, recreation and wetlands."

As of May 2010 the company reports that they have applied to the Alberta Utilities Commission as well as Alberta Environment for approval to begin surface mining operations in Pit 08 at Highvale Mine. Transalta states that development of Pit 08 is essential to ensure a continuous supply of coal for the Keephills generating plant until 2020.[14]

North Canton Strip Mine (Illinois)

North Canton Strip Mine is a proposed 1,084-acre surface mine by Chicago-based Capital Resource Development Company, and would be located a mile north of Canton Lake in Illinois.[15]

Otter Creek (Montana)

In March 2010 Arch Coal made a successful bid of $85.8 million for the right to mine about 8,300 acres of state-owned minerals in the Otter Creek Tracts in southeastern Montana. The company said the land is a strategic platform for future growth in the Northern Powder River Basin. The company controls about 1.5 billion tons of coal reserves in Montana's Otter Creek area.[16]

The state of Montana Land Board has been looking to lease 616 million tons of coal reserves known as Otter Creek, which it received from the Federal Government at the beginning of the decade. The State Board of Land Commissioners made the initial decision on December 21, 2009. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, a proponent of coal development, sits on the board along with other Montana officials.[17][18]

Pace Coal Project (Montana)

The Pace Coal Project is a coal mining project in central Montana that is to be operated by the American Power Corporation.

American Power is a member of the Montana Mining Association, and holds approximately 29,000 acres in Judith Basin County, Montana. The estimated resources in place, based on exploration work conducted by Mobil Oil Co. (now ExxonMobil Corp.), and in several independent studies, range from 172 million up to 410+ million tons of high volatile bituminous B coal.[19]

Red Cliff Mine (Colorado)

Red Cliff Mine is a new underground coal mine proposed by Rhino Energy. It is located on federally-managed public lands 11 miles north of the towns of Loma and Mack and 1.5 miles east of State Highway 139, in Mesa County. The mine would produce 8 million tons of coal annually over 30 years, making it one of the largest in Colorado. (In 2006 the mine was proposed by CAM Holdings,[20] which was formed in April 2003 by "entities managed by Wexford Capital."[21] CAM Holdings was the predecessor of Rhino Resource Partners,[21] which became Rhino Energy.[22])

Rhino Energy's proposal includes construction of mine entries, associated roads and facilities on 23,000 acres, construction of 14 mile rail spur, and construction of 14 mile transmission line. Rhino Energy plans to conduct underground mining 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year, using room and pillar and longwall mining techniques. [23]

In 2009, the Bureau of Land Managment decided to revise a draft environmental impact statement on the project, in part because a second company expressed interest and said an expanded study area would make the leasing process more competitive.[24]

Red Lodge (Montana)

In February 2010, Management Energy Inc., a California coal startup, amassed leases on more than 10 square miles of land to build new coal mines in south-central Montana, near Red Lodge, in partnership with Tennessee coal entrepreneur John Baugues Jr.[13]

Rhino Energy Christian County mine (Illinois)

In August 2010, Rhino Energy said it plans to build a mine in Christian County, Illinois, whether or not a proposed coal gasification project, the Taylorville Energy Center, succeeds. Rhino plans to build the mine on Illinois 148 between Taylorville and Decatur. Work could begin as early as 2011, if all the permits are obtained. Regulators are completing an analysis on the Taylorville project to be presented to the Illinois General Assembly in September 2010. Rhino Energy said it included Taylorville Energy in its plans, but there is also sufficient demand outside the state.[25]

Sage Creek Mine (Colorado)

Peabody Energy and Twen­tymile Coal Company hope to begin construction on the new underground Sage Creek Mine in West Routt County, CO as early as 2010. The new mine is expected to replace the existing Twentymile Mine sometime in 2013, when the underground longwall mining operation is projected to run out of coal. Twentymile produced 8 million tons of coal in 2008.[26]

Shepherd's Bend Mine (Alabama)

On September 14, 2010, college students from the University of Alabama at Birminghman (UAB) protested against the possibility of UA leasing land for a new coal mine, the Shepherd's Bend Mine. The Birmingham Water Works Board has asked the Alabama Surface Mining Commission to deny the permit application for the proposed mine, saying it would be too close to a drinking water intake on the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River. If it is approved, the mine operator would still need to secure leases from the University of Alabama System which owns some of the property in question. Students gathered on UAB's campus to try and keep that from happening, and those involved with the Green Initiative and the Coalition of Alabama Students for the environment handed more than seven hundred signatures from people opposed to the mine to UA System Spokesperson Kellee Reinhart. In the past the University of Alabama System has reportedly looked into leasing the land.[27]

South Heart Mine (North Dakota)

The South Heart Lignite Mine (SHLM) is a proposed strip mine by South Heart Coal (SHC) of over 7000 acres, about 13 miles from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. Mining would be for low-grade lignite coal, to be used at on-site coal gasification plant, the South Heart Power Project.[28]

According to SHC's 2010 application with the North Dakota Public Service Commission: "The SHLM is being developed by SHC to produce coal for market. The mine plan described in this application has been designed specifically to provide coal to a planned commercial-scale gasification plant that would be located adjacent to the mine. 2014 is currently planned as the year that initial mine development and mining will commence. Ongoing engineering evaluations of the planned commercial-scale gasification plant indicate that a mine production rate of 2.4 million tons of coal per year will be required to fully support the plant. Where there are specific revisions to tonnages, the schedule for mining and reclamation, or any other changes specific to coal delivery that require permit revision, operations revisions to address the changes will be submitted to the PSC for approval." (p. 1)

Spruce 1 Mine (West Virginia)

Spruce No. 1 Mine is an existing surface coal mining operation in Logan County, West Virginia, operated by Mingo Logan Coal and owned by Arch Coal. A proposed expansion of the Spruce No. 1 Mine would make the mine one of the largest in Appalachia; this expansion has been the subject of extensive controversy for over a decade.

Vermillion Mine (Illinois)

On August 11, 2010, Sunrise Coal, LLC of Terre Haute, Ind., said they were planning a proposed coal mine in southern Vermilion County, IL. The anticipated life expectancy of the mine is 30 years. The company has given notice to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for test drilling in the area and has leased 17,000 Vermilion County acres from landowners for exploratory purposes. The company said it is reviewing quality and rock mechanics and hopes to determine the property as a minable reserve before the end of 2010. If the coal company chooses to move forward, the permit process for the mine would take 18 months to two years to complete.[29]

White Oak Mine (Illinois)

White Oak Mine is an underground coal mine in Hamilton County, Illinois that will be operated by White Oak Resources LLC. Governor Pat Quinn announced approval of the mine on October 23, 2010. The company will invest more than $400 million in construction of the mine, which is expected to open in late 2012 or early 2013 with projected annual production of 7.5 million tons of coal. The White Oak Mine #1 is the first of four the company has proposed for the area.[30]

White Oak CEO Mike Tracy said the company is looking to market its coal to “high-volume users” such as Ameren and other large utilities; eventually, the company looks to market its coal overseas, he added.[31]

According to the McLeansboro Times Leader archives, Jim Lindsey of Energy Plus negotiated a deal with Hamilton County in 2006, representing the McLeansboro and North Hamilton County coal associations as a coal broker. Lidsey was able to negotiate a contract with Hamilton County for 7,700 acres in coal reserves it received from Exxon Coal USA in 1992. In early 2008, it was announced that Hamilton County would have two coal mines with a third in the planning stages by White Oak Resources LLC.[32]

Wishbone Hill Coal Mine (Alaska)

Wishbone Hill Coal Mine is a proposed mine in the Matanuska Valley, approximately 5 miles west of Sutton, AK. It is estimated to contain 14 million tons of bituminous coal. A permit for exploratory drilling at the site was approved by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in July 2010. That permit has been appealed by several local organizations and tribal councils.[33]

According to GroundTruth Trekking, Usibelli Coal Mine Inc. purchased the 8000 acre Wishbone Hill Mine site in 1997 with plans to recover the coal using strip mining techniques. Usibelli Coal began exploration work in this area in the summer of 2010 and has reportedly found a potential buyer for the coal. This area was historically mined for coal as early as 1916 and was most recently mined in the 1980s. The lease area has been the site of a number of coal fires, some burning since the 1960's, and has been the focus of a multi-million dollar effort to supress the fires. West of Wishbone Hill is the site of the successful Moose Creek Salmon Restoration project, created due to previous coal mining and railroad development in the area.[34]

The Usibelli Coal Mine possesses renewable exploration permits for this mine, due to be reviewed in 2011. The company would need to obtain production permits before mining, which could occur by 2012. The mine would receive power from the nearby grid and would transport coal either via truck to Seward, truck to Port MacKenzie or through creation of a new rail spur to the site. In June 2010, the Mat-Su Borough Planning Commission voted against allowing Usibelli to build an access road but later approved conditional access. The nearby Chickaloon Village Traditional Council announced that they planned to oppose all aspects of the mine. In July 2010, Usibelli was granted a permit by the DNR and began exploratory drilling in the area. In August 2010, the Athabascan tribe, the Castle Mountain Coalition, and local residents filed appeals against the July permit decision. Both exploration and creation of a feasibility study are underway.[34]

Resources

References

  1. ↑ "Coal Mines Making a Comeback," iStockAnalyst, March 30, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Notice of Availability and Notice of Hearing for the Buckskin Mine Hay Creek II Coal Lease by Application Draft Environmental Impact Statement, WY" E-docket, March 12, 2010.
  3. ↑ Megan Miller, "MDE approves permit for Casselman mine: Authorization moves project past final development hurdle" October 1, 2010.
  4. ↑ “Climate Irony: Utah Ski Resort Owner Plans Giant Alaska Coal Mine”, EcoFactory, August 19, 2009
  5. ↑ Kurt Repanshek, "NPCA Criticizes Utah Decision to Allow Strip Mine Near Bryce Canyon National Park" National Parks Traveler, August 6, 2010.
  6. ↑ Jump up to: 6.0 6.1 "Coal Hollow" Utah.gov, accessed November 2009
  7. ↑ Jump up to: 7.0 7.1 Dixie Brunner,"Alton Coal leaps hurdle in getting state approval" Southern Utah News, November 11, 2009
  8. ↑ "Utah regulators approve new coal mine" AP story on Charleston Daily Mail, October 27, 2009
  9. ↑ "Utah coal mine plan draws official support" Channel 6, Oct. 7, 2010.
  10. ↑ "FAQs" Alton Coal Mine Public Website, accessed November 2009
  11. ↑ Bobbi Bryant, "Herbert endorses Utah’s first strip coal mine" The Salt Lake Tribune, Oct. 23, 2010.
  12. ↑ “Proposal would move mining onto Crow Reservation” Susan Gallagher, Helena Independent Record, April 4, 2008
  13. ↑ Jump up to: 13.0 13.1 Matthew Brown,"Coal mines eyed near Red Lodge, Bridger" AP Press, February 27, 2010
  14. ↑ "Highvale" TransAlta Mine Page, accessed May 5, 2010.
  15. ↑ "North Canton Strip Mine" Canton Area Citizens for Environmental Issues, accessed Feb. 2011.
  16. ↑ "Arch Coal boosts Powder River Basin reserves" Reuters, March 18, 2010
  17. ↑ Montana Weighs Sale of Otter Creek Coal Rights , Mark Peters, Wall Street Journal, November, 16, 2009.
  18. ↑ "Land Board delays action on Otter Creek coal leases," Missoulian, November 17, 2009.
  19. ↑ "American Power to Develop Advanced Montana Coal Project With 410MT Coal Potential" American Power Press Release, August 23, 2010.
  20. ↑ Bureau of Land Management, "Scoping Process", Bureau of Land Management, December 2006.
  21. ↑ Jump up to: 21.0 21.1 "Initial Public Offerings (IPO): Rhino Resource Partners, L.P.", accessed April 2009.
  22. ↑ Rhino Energy, "Company History", Rhino Energy website, accessed April 2009.
  23. ↑ "Proposed Red Cliff Mine Project Description", Bureau of Land Management Colorado website, accessed March 2009.
  24. ↑ Dennis Webb, "Instead of closing, mine proposes expansion" Daily Sentinel, July 2, 2010.
  25. ↑ Tim Landis, "Illinois coal production expected to jump in 2011" State Journal Register, August 18, 2010.
  26. ↑ "New coal mine planned for West Routt," Steamboat Pilot & Today, April 5, 2009.
  27. ↑ "College students protest strip mine plans" CBS, Sep. 14, 2010.
  28. ↑ "Lignite Mine permit" Coaldiver.org, accessed November 2010.
  29. ↑ April Evans, "Coal mine proposed for east-central Illinois" Chicago tribune, August 12, 2010.
  30. ↑ Evan Shields, "Governor Quinn Announces Approval of New Coal Mine in Hamilton County: White Oak Mine Will Create 650 Jobs, Boost Regional Economy" Illinois Government News Network, October 23, 2010.
  31. ↑ Paul Lorenz, "CEO: Third mine on drawing board" Mcleansboro Times Leader, September 17, 2008.
  32. ↑ "Coal Association Investigation Sale Of Coal Mine Rights" Mining Exploration News, Dec. 25, 2008.
  33. ↑ Evan Shields, "Wishbone Hill Coal Mine (proposed)" CoalDiver.org, accessed November 2010.
  34. ↑ Jump up to: 34.0 34.1 David Coil, Erin McKittrick, Bretwood Higman, "Wishbone Hill Coal Mine" GroundTruth Trekking, accessed November 2010.

Related SourceWatch articles

External resources

This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it.
Retrieved from "https://dev.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Proposed_coal_mines&oldid=512989"