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People working together for social, economic and environmental justice in Tennessee
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For release January 21, 2004
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Contact:
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SOCM office
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(865) 426-9455
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Zeb Mountain Mine Cited with Numerous Violations After Only 6 Months of Operation
Just six months after the Robert Clear Coal Corporation began its "Cross Ridge Mining" operation on Zeb Mountain, the coal company has been asked to submit a revised drainage control plan by overseeing agencies.
The Company has also recently been issued several violations for the mine.
This has left area members of Save Our Cumberland Mountains (SOCM) like Cathie Bird asking the permitting agencies "If the coal company has been allowed to do this much damage in just six months, what will Elk Valley look like after the mine operation is completed in ten years?"
Last week, the Robert Clear Coal Corporation was issued a violation by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Office of Surface Mining (OSM), and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) for building an illegal sediment pond outside of the permitted mine area.
The company was also issued a violation in December by OSM for a haul road that slid down the mountain side, out of the permit area, and into the watershed of Dan Branch.
"Since last July, Robert Clear has repeatedly violated the law, proved over and over again that he cannot carryout this mining operation without polluting the waters of the state.
TDEC and OSM need to revoke this mining permit," said Ann League.
The revised drainage control plans come in response to a violation issued in December by TDEC for excessive sedimentation in Dan Branch.
The revised plan calls for more in-stream structures and is reminiscent of an earlier TDEC permit application which was withdrawn last June.
Bird stated that "we have not, to this date, seen a drainage control plan that we think will work for cross-ridge mining on Zeb Mountain.
Early last spring, we pointed out to TDEC and OSM that the first drainage control plan was inadequate and continually changing to address the reoccurring problems.
Last summer we pointed out that the second drainage control plan, which had sediment ponds in the streams, was also inadequate.
The third drainage control plan, which was approved by both OSM and TDEC, reverted back to the first plan.
Now, six months into the operation, OSM and the Robert Clear Coal Corporation are now proposing a fourth drainage control plan that we do not believe will solve the current problems occurring in the Dan Branch watershed.."
SOCM members want to ensure that the mistakes that have been made in the Dan Branch watershed are not repeated in other watersheds on Zeb Mountain.
"We want TDEC and OSM to prove to us that this plan will work. These are significant changes being made to the permit and we want to have another public comment period and public hearing for each watershed they are revising the drainage control plans for," commented Charles Blankenship.
SOCM is a 31 year-old grassroots organization that works for social, environmental and economic justice in rural Tennessee.
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