Activists oppose restart of coal mine in Black Diamond
May 8, 2014, 12:35 PM | Updated: May 9, 2014, 7:40 am
According to news reports, the company first applied to reopen the mine in '07 and again in 2011. The coal pit operation was last active from from 1985 to 1997. (AP Photo/File)
(AP Photo/File)
Blasting and mining operations could resume in a coal pit near Black Diamond but a late opposition campaign is underway.
An April letter from Pacific Coast Coal Company details plans to reopen John Henry No. 1 Mine, which closed in the mid-1990s. According to news reports, the company first applied to reopen the mine in 2007 and again in 2011. The coal pit operation was last active from from 1985 to 1997.
Federal regulators with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) are taking public comment until May 17.
Activists from FUSE Washington have taken up the cause, calling for a public hearing on the issue, based on concerns about air pollution and traffic.
