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Written by Tracie Sullivan
The Utah Division of the Bureau of Land Management is asking the public for comment on a controversial proposal by Alton Coal Development to expand Utah’s only strip mine by more than 3,500 acres of public and private land outside Alton. When the proposal received its first environmental analysis in November 2011, the BLM received 177,000 comments expressing concern for sage grouse, wetlands, air pollution and night sky impacts. This prompted a need for a supplemental draft environmental impact statement (SDEIS). The SDEIS is now available for public comment until Aug. 11. Along these lines, the BLM held its first in a series of open houses in Cedar City on Tuesday, July 14.
Preparation of the SDEIS began in July 2012 and evaluates the impacts of four alternatives: three “action” alternatives and a “no-action” alternative. The BLM’s comment period, which began June 11, runs for 60 days, and includes several informational open houses where the public can learn more about the proposal and the potential socioeconomic and environmental impacts the final decision will create.
The Coal Hollow Mine, which opened in 2004, currently operates on approximately 700 acres. Mining representatives say there is only enough coal left at that location to keep the mine operating for about three years. Kirk Nicholes, environmental specialist with Alton Coal Development, said after that time period, Alton Coal Development will need the additional land to boost operations if it expects to stay open.
So far, the BLM has not received many comments regarding the SDEIS. At the first open house in Cedar City, less than a dozen people were in attendance to review the information the BLM had available, even with representatives from the BLM and Alton Coal Development available to field questions. BLM staff said they were a little surprised at the low turnout. However, BLM District Planner Keith Rigtrup said it was still early.
“That could change,” Rigtrup said. “A lot of times people will wait until the last few days to send in their comments so just because we don’t have much now doesn’t mean we won’t get a lot.”
If approved, the Alton Coal Development proposal will allow operators to continue mining for another 25 years by tapping into almost 45 million tons of recoverable coal, with a further 2 million tons possibly available.
Nicholes said the Coal Hollow Mine currently employs 52 people and provides around 120 trucking jobs which will double with the expansion.
When Washington finally decides whether to approve the proposal, environmental concerns as well as the mine’s socioeconomic impacts on the local economy will also be taken into consideration.
Jeff McKenzie, mining engineer for the BLM, said that while 120-150 jobs isn’t that many, the figure can’t exactly be taken at face value.
“[I]n Kane County—in small towns—you close something like that and people will lose their homes,” McKenzie said. “So we figure out the same percentage per capita, like Salt Lake County, so 150 jobs [in Kane County] equates to 23,000 jobs there, about the same as Hill Air Force Base. So we’re trying to help people to understand.”
Currently there is no timeline on when the mine will receive a decision about its future.
“We’re nine years into this and we still don’t have a decision,” Rigtrup said. “So I wouldn’t even want to try and speculate when the decision will finally be made.”
The coal Alton Mining seeks in its proposal is among several other beds in the Kanab area that hold approximately 10 billion tons of in-ground resources. However, according to the BLM, many of those coal seams can’t be developed as they lie under Glen Canyon National Park, the Alton Cemetery and several towns. Some of the coal is also inside Dixie National Forest.
Alton Coal has committed to a post-closure reclamation and revegetation monitoring period for at least a decade. BLM representatives at the Cedar City open house posted photos of reclamation to demonstrate how the site would appear after periods of one, two and three years, after which point, the BLM maintains full revegetation would begin to occur.
Additional BLM open house meetings are scheduled from 6-8 p.m. at the following locations:
Kanab | July 21, 6-8 p.m. | BLM Kanab Field Office, 669 S. Highway 89A, Kanab
Alton | July 22, 6-8 p.m. | Town Hall, 11 S. 100 West, Alton
Panguitch | July 15, 6-8 p.m. | Garfield County Courthouse Chambers, 55 S. Main St., Panguitch
Salt Lake City | July 16, 6-8 p.m. | Red Lion Hotel, 161 W. 600 South, Salt Lake City
The public can also comment via mail addressed to BLM, attention Keith Rigtrup, Kanab Field Office, 669 S. Highway 89A, Kanab, Utah, 84741, or email at [email protected] Please reference “Alton Coal Lease SDEIS” when submitting comments.
Before including an address, phone number, email address or other personal identifying information in any comments, be aware that the entire comment—including personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. Requests to withhold personal identifying information from public review can be submitted, but the BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.
