This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Alton • The Bureau of Land Management on Tuesday night held its first open house to answer questions from the public about the proposed expansion of the only strip mine in Utah.
The meeting was held in the tiny town of Alton, where roughly 600 acres has been permitted by the state for mining. Now Alton Coal Development has applied for a lease to expand its Coal Hollow Mine by 3,500 acres on federal land.
Keith Rigtrup, district planner for the Color Country office of the BLM in Cedar City, has led the effort to prepare the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed expansion. He said concerns expressed by people Tuesday had to do with traffic and possible light pollution with the mine's proximity to Bryce Canyon National Park.
He said comments will be taken through Jan. 6 and incorporated into a final decision, probably in the fall. He said there are three alternatives in the environmental document: One being denial of the application and the two others nearly identical except one recommends a little less land be mined.
Monitoring air quality is also a main component of the study in the works since 2006.
Rigtrup said light pollution from a mine expansion would be negligible. He said Bryce Canyon, known for its quality dark skies, cannot be seen from the mine in northern Kane County.
Once mined, the coal is trucked through Panguitch to a load-out facility in Cedar City before being sent to the Intermountain Power Project near Delta.
Lue McMahan, who owns Grandma's Cottages in Panguitch, attended Tuesday's meeting and is opposed to the expansion.
"I don't want the mine because it will decrease tourism because of the [truck] traffic," she said.
She is also concerned about light pollution and dust from the trucks affecting the town listed as a National Historic Landmark.
"There is already an [increase] of dust on the sidewalks and window sills," said McMahan. "And that is just from a small number of trucks. Imagine the amount when trucks increase. We don't need more trucks rumbling through town."
Alton resident Dennis Heaton said the mine expansion would help the town economically and encourage children to stay in town instead of looking for employment elsewhere.
"The only jobs we have now are for teachers or ranchers," said Heaton. "I'm all for [the mine]."
Resident Arthur Anderson, who moved to Alton after a 30-year stint with Kennecott Utah Copper, also favors the mine expansion, saying in tough economic times it will help the area.
"It will have little [negative] impact," he said of the proposed expansion. "There is more dust from farm equipment going by than from [coal] trucks."
He believes the expansion could lift the town to a new level of prosperity.
"It would be great to maybe have a store and service station," he said.
Leonard Herr, an air resources specialist with the BLM state office who contributed to the study, said the dust issue was a major part of the study because of public health. He said that is why the mining from the surface was not allowed to go deeper than 200 feet.
He also said using water and approved chemicals will help keep dust at a minimum. He said air standards meet specifications set by the Department of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Have your say
The BLM is holding open houses to answer the public's questions concerning the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed expansion of a strip coal mine near Alton in Kane County.
All meetings will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the following locations and dates.
Kanab • Wednesday at the public library.
Panguitch • Thursday at the public library.
Cedar City • Tuesday at the Heritage Center.
Salt Lake City • Dec. 7 at the main downtown library.