niedbala@observer-reporter.com

Expecting the coal boom to continue well into the future, Foundation Coal Corp. has applied to the state Department of Environmental Protection for a permit to build a second new coal mine in Greene County.

The company has filed a permit application to build the Freeport Mine, which will mine Freeport seam coal in northeastern Greene County.

The new mine will require an initial capital investment of about $300 million and the mine, which is expected to open in 2012, will employ about 350 miners, Foundation spokeswoman Samantha Davison said.

The company announced plans in March to construct the Foundation Mine, a new mine to mine Pittsburgh seam coal near Holbrook in the western part of Greene County.

Foundation Coal also is seeking a permit from DEP for that mine, which is expected to open in 2013 and initially employ 400 to 500 people.

The Freeport Mine is expected to be built near Clarksville. The company now owns several large tracts of land in the area in Morgan and Jefferson townships. The property in Jefferson Township borders the Monongahela River.

The Freeport seam of coal the company plans to mine is deeper than the Pittsburgh seam. It will be mined using continuous miners rather than the longwall mining machines used in the company's other Greene County operations.

The mine is expected to produce 3 to 3.5 million tons of coal a year, Davison said.

Mining in the eastern part of the county has died off during about the last 20 years. The new mine "should help provide a good shot in the arm" to the economy in that area, Davison said.

In addition to providing new jobs, which pay more than average wages, the mine will contribute about $1.9 million a year in local taxes, she said.

The company also attempts to be a good neighbor, Davison said. It has contributed to many community projects including to the new aquatic center in Waynesburg.

Foundation Coal now has two existing coal mines in the county, Emerald and Cumberland, which have been in operation for more than 30 years.

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