Mining commission public meeting on Rosa set Sept. 15

This tranquil scene is captured near the proposed enterance to MCoal Corporation’s Rosa Mine operation. County residents alarmed at the likelihood that coal mining will be resumed at Rosa will have opportunity to voice their fears next Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Frank J. Green Building in Oneonta.

Alabama Surface Mining Commission set the evening meeting at the request of several that one be held after normal business hours to accommodate working people who would want to attend.

Probate Judge David Standridge corresponded last week with the mining commission asking that “every consideration possible be made to alleviate the expressed concerns.”

Attached were copies of seven letters and e-mails the commission had received protesting MCoal Corporation’s permit application to auger coal in the area of the former Rosa Mine.

“While we understand the county commission’s involvement in this proposed project is limited to our county road system, we are always concerned about the quality of life of our residents,” Standridge’s letter concluded.

Citizens’ concerns covered several harmful effects they feared might result from MCoal’s proposed project.

Cattle concerns, river impact, missing environmental study

A cattle farmer and his wife pointed out that contamination of surface streams or loss of grazing land would put their farm out of business.

A joint letter from two other citizens deplored the effects they said mining could have on the Locust Fork River. “I understand it’s taken a really long time for the river area to recoup from the last mining,” the letter said. The effect of mining on area water wells was expressed and echoed in two other letters.

Another letter said that the permit application did not contain required attachments documenting the impact of mining on environmental, cultural, and historical aspects of the area. The missing environmental habitat study was over 30 years old, in spite of recommendations in the permit application that a new study be conducted, the letter noted.

Blasting, health, and liability concerns

One homeowner worried about the effects of blasting on homes, wells and roads, as well as about the safety of school children and school buses sharing the roads with mining vehicles and equipment.

The effects of coal mining on the health of residents living nearby was the subject of one writer’s comments, who suggested a statistical connection between mining and the incidence of autism, birth defects, and cancer in the area surrounding the mining operation.

Another writer posed questions. Will the coal company pay for a new well if well water becomes contaminated from mining operations? Will his family face increased risk of lung cancer from coal dust in the air? What if their insurance premiums go up as a result of increased exposure to coal-mining-related hazards? Will the coal company pay for that? How do they plan to guarantee that these things will not happen to families in the area?

One letter stated that the Vancouverbased MCoal’s parent company NovaDX is described as focusing exclusively on high-risk resource exploration ventures. “Why is a corporation from a foreign country that touts ‘high-risk investing’ allowed to come into Blount County, deplete our resources, possibly contaminate our natural resources, and diminish the property value of residences?” the writer asked.

Questions recorded, answers to come later

Robert Allen, mining commission assessment officer who will conduct the Sept. 15 meeting, said it wouldn’t be possible to have experts present to answer the full range of questions that might be raised.

Questions may be presented and will be recorded, but may not be answered at the meeting itself. In general, answers to relevant questions will be addressed later when findings of the permit application itself are issued, he said.