Changes

On October 10, the Division of Oil, Gas and Mining approved a preliminary permit for the [[Coal Hollow Mine]], located on private land just 10 miles south of Bryce Canyon National Park. The mine would be the state's first strip coal mine. [[Alton Coal Development]] hopes to mine 2 million tons of coal per year for three years. The company must secure a $6 million reclamation bond before receiving final approval of its mining permit.<ref name="stl">Mark Havnes, [http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13828122 "Environmental groups move to stop strip mine,"] ''Salt Lake Tribune,'' November 20, 2009.</ref> According to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press, the permitting decision may have been fast-tracked by Governor Herbert after a meeting during which Alton complained that the process was taking too long.<ref name="ap">[http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jioCeXwQokbmSynNiI-zl-Yn7wNgD9C2SQN82 "Memo: Utah regulators sped up mine permit decision,"] Associated Press, November 19, 2009.</ref>

In November, a coalition of environmental groups filed a petition to block the mine, arguing that the project would damage the region's air, water, wildlife and cultural resources. The groups include The Utah chapter of the [[Sierra Club]], Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the [[Natural Resources Defense Council]] and the [[National Parks Conservation Association]].<ref name="stl"/> The Division of Oil, Gas and Mining is expected to begin hearings on the petition in December.<ref name="ap"/>