A long ago proposed coal mine for Southwestern Vermilion County may have reached a final dead end.
A letter from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has stated that a permit for the proposed Bulldog Coal Mine near Allerton is no longer valid, because no action was taken within three year’s of the permit’s issuance in April of 2019.
Suzanne Smith from Stand Up to Coal recalls first hearing about this possibility in 2009. From there, a fight against Sunrise Coal out of Terre Haute, IN began with many organizations, including Stand Up to Coal and the Prairie Rivers Network; saying the coal mine should be disallowed for environmental reasons.
While Sunrise Coal had stated the proposed Bulldog Mine would provide about 300 permanent jobs, many residents were concerned about environmental issues; including how much water would be needed once the mining began and where the water would come from.
Smith says, this verdict is everything the anti-mine movement had hoped for.
Audio PlayerAUDIO: Landowners with groundwater wells can rest easier knowing their drinking water supply is safe from coal contamination. And farmers and rural residents can breathe a little easier without the risk of subsidence. We’re thrilled to know these rivers, and the aquatic life they support, are now protected from the threat of a coal mine.
Andrew Rehn from the Prairie Rivers Network says this is a well earned victory for the people, as well as the battle against climate change.
Audio PlayerAUDIO: Another mine means that much more coal that comes out of the ground, and every bit of coal that comes out of the ground gets burned. But it’s also a huge victory for the community that has been fighting for so long to finally know that they won’t have to wake up tomorrow, and maybe have a mine in their backyard. And we’re happy that the Salt Fork is not going to have to bear the burden if the discharges from the mine.
Sunrise Coal could not be reached for comment.
THE FOLLOWING WAS ISSUED BY STAND UP TO COAL
Note: Below are the two official documents issued by IDNR to Sunrise Coal stating the termination of their permit along with a copy of the land reclamation bond refund. Accounting for a 35-day appeal period- during which Sunrise Coal made no request for further review- we have been assured by our attorney, David Wentworth, that this permit is securely dead. Any future attempt at opening a coal mine at this site will require a company to begin the permitting process all over again.
