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A coalition of environmental groups have filed a petition to stop the state's first coal strip mine on private land near Bryce Canyon National Park, which has already received preliminary approval from the state.
The groups say the project could damage the area's water, air, wildlife and cultural resources. It would be the state's first strip coal mine, which are more damaging to surface environments than underground mines.
The Utah chapter of the Sierra Club, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Parks Conservation Association filed the petition on Wednesday with the state Board of Oil, Gas and Mining.
The Division of Oil, Gas and Mining approved a permit on Oct. 10 for the Coal Hollow Mine, which would be just southeast of the tiny town of Alton in Kane County, 10 miles south of the national park. Final approval of the mining permit is contingent on the mining company, Alton Coal Development of Cedar City, securing a $6 million reclamation bond. The company wants to mine 2 million tons of coal a year for three years.
The coal would be trucked north from the mine on U.S. Highway 89 through Panguitch in Garfield County, then over state Route 20 to Interstate 15 and south to a rail facility west of Cedar City.
Stephen Bloch, an attorney and conservation director for SUWA, said Thursday that preliminary approval of the mining permit came shortly after a meeting between coal
"After the meeting with the governor, a faster, finite timeline [for the permit] was part of the response from the division," said Bloch.
Division spokesman Jim Springer acknowledged the meeting took place, but said the company got no special treatment and that the permitting process had been in the works for almost three years.
Angie Welling, a spokeswoman for Herbert, said the company requested a meeting with the governor, which took place on Sept. 17. She also said no special consideration was given in the permit process.
She said SUWA's allegations about the meeting are "an incorrect characterization."
"They [company officials] wanted an update on the [permit] process," Welling said on Thursday.
Chris McCourt, project manager for Alton Coal Development, said the company has complied with all federal, state and local laws in developing the permit application.
"The permit provides environmental protections which minimize impacts that may occur from the operation," he said. The coal would be removed in sections, and the land reclaimed as the next section is mined.
He said the operation will provide 100 full-time jobs at the mine site, 50 full-time truck drivers and 10 full-time transportation support employees.
Bloch said the flow of trucks on US. 89 and through Panguitch, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, would hurt tourism and structures. He also worries that final approval of the mine could influence a decision on an application the coal company has filed with the Bureau of Land Management to expand the operation to adjacent public land.
Randy Yard, who with his wife owns Cowboy Collectibles in Panguitch, said Kane County will get all the benefit from royalties, while Garfield County will get nothing but round-the-clock truck traffic.
In a letter to the governor, Yard complained the mine would detract from the area's scenery and hurt businesses.
"Tourism is Garfield County's number one source of income," the letter reads. "We feel Main Street business owners are being sold out for coal mine owners with deeper pockets and who have only low-grade coal to offer."
But he admitted Thursday that the promised jobs, if they materialize, could help the area.
"I'm not a tree hugger by any means, but I don't know of anything in writing about guaranteeing these jobs," said Yard.
Bobbie Bryant, another Panguitch business owner, thinks a strip coal mine is an archaic concept that will foul the air with dust and diesel fumes and degrade the tourist industry the town is trying to encourage.
"I can't imagine trying to drive a car or RV between two huge coal trucks and still try to notice the beauty of the scenery," Bryant said.
Several environmental groups are seeking to block a coal strip mine near Bryce Canyon National Park. The Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining will hold a hearing on the groups' petition on Dec. 9, when a hearing date will likely be set.
