W.Va. coal mine seeks to expand into Washington County
An Oklahoma-based coal operator is seeking to expand a mine in West Virginia into western Washington County.
The state Department of Environmental Protection scheduled a public meeting next month in Donegal Township to receive comment on the application by Alliance Resource Partners to conduct longwall mining in Donegal and West Finley townships.
The application is for Alliance’s Tunnel Ridge Mine near Wheeling, in Ohio County, W.Va., which was developed in November 2009.
The mine produces medium- to high-sulfur coal and has the ability to extract 2,000 tons of raw coal a year, according to the company’s website.
Tunnel Ridge applied to the DEP Oct. 7 to change a little more than 1,200 acres of coal reserves in Washington County from a development classification to full-extraction longwall mining, said Lauren Fraley, spokeswoman for the department in Pittsburgh.
Coal listed as being in development means that it is being prepared for a longwall operation, Fraley said.
Blasting occurs to break up rock to access the coal seam, Fraley said. Reinforcing structures and other worker safety measures, such as ventilation shafts, are installed.
Some coal is removed during this phase. During development, the mine is graded in a room-and-pillar fashion to prepare the area to bring in a longwall machine for full extractive mining, Fraley added.
The coal to be mined sits under areas identified in public records as being along Brick, Kennedy and Waynesburg roads.
Alliance, of Tulsa, did not return messages this week seeking comment about the application.
The DEP public conference on the project will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. April 10 in the Donegal Township building gymnasium, 34 N. Liberty St., West Alexander.