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CREWS
WORK
near
the
Hoot
Owl
bridge
crossing
(above)
to
lay
the
last
bit
of
pipeline
in
the
ground
to
carry
CONSOL's
planned
mine
water
discharge.
In
the
bottom
photo,
crews
patch
the
roadway
near
the
rail
line
where
the
pipeline
crosses
under
Rt.
615
at
Hoot
Owl.
Final
permit
approvals
for
the
discharge
and
construction
of
a
diffuser
system
are
pending.
(Staff
photos/Cathy
St.
Clair.)
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Hearing
Set
to
Consider
CONSOL
Permit
Application
to
Construct
Diffuser
System |
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by
Cathy
St.
Clair
News
Editor
Area
residents
wishing
to
make
known
their
thoughts
on
CONSOL
Energy's
plan
to
construct
a
diffuser
system
in
the
Levisa
River
in
order
to
allow
for
the
discharge
of
mine
water
into
the
river,
near
Poetown,
will
have
an
opportunity
to
do
so
Monday
during
a
public
hearing
before
the
Virginia
Marine
Resources
Commission.
While
the
discharge
permit
granted
to
allow
the
discharge
into
the
river
is
now
the
subject
of
an
administrative
appeal
with
the
Department
of
Mines,
Minerals
and
Energy,
a
separate
permit
is
required
to
construct
the
diffuser
system
in
the
river
and
it
is
that
permit
application
which
will
be
the
subject
of
the
March
12
meeting.
In
the
meantime,
the
company
has
nearly
completed
construction
of
the
overland
pipeline
which
will
transport
the
mine
water
from
Buchanan
No.
1
to
VP-3
where
it
is
now
being
stored.
It
is
that
water
which
is
proposed
will
ultimately
be
pumped
to
the
diffuser
system
and
discharged
into
the
Levisa.
The
diffuser
permit
approval
must
come
from
the
Virginia
Marine
Resources
Commission
prior
to
the
construction
of
the
diffuser
system
in
the
river.
The
public
hearing
on
the
diffuser
is
set
for
March
12
at
2
p.m.
at
Southwest
Virginia
Community
College.
The
hearing
will
be
held
by
video
conference
and
anyone
who
wishes
to
comment
may
do
so
at
the
SwVCC
location.
Plans
call
for
the
hearing
to
last
until
7:30
p.m.
with
a
dinner
break
from
4:30
to
6
p.m.
The
meeting
will
be
held
in
rooms
146
and
147
of
Russell
Hall
at
Southwest
Virginia
Community
College
and
public
testimony
will
only
be
taken
on
the
project
at
the
SwVCC
location.
The
Virginia
Marine
Resources
Commission
is
located
in
Newport
News
and
commissioners
will
participate
in
the
hearing
from
Hampton.
Communications
will
be
verbal
and
visual
between
the
two
locations.
A
memorandum
on
the
hearing
process
notes
that
the
procedure
will
see
commission
personnel
state
the
basic
facts
of
the
application
submitted
after
which,
the
applicant,
in
this
case,
CONSOL,
will
be
offered
the
opportunity
to
add
anything,
including
witnesses,
that
the
company
feels
will
clarify
or
strengthen
the
application,
if
they
choose
to
do
so.
After
that,
parties
opposing
the
application
will
be
heard
and
the
applicant
will
then
have
the
opportunity
to
answer
any
of
the
statements
of
the
parties
opposing
the
application
and
to
summarize
their
case.
For
additional
information,
related
to
the
hearing
process,
interested
persons
may
call
Randal
Owens,
environmental
engineer
in
the
Habitat
Management
Division
of
the
Marine
Resources
Commission
at
757-247-2200.
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IDA
Purchases
1,300
Acres
at
Poplar
Gap
Phase
Two
Construction
Will
Cost
$7.79
Million
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by
Cathy
St.
Clair
News
Editor
Agreements
to
purchase
some
1,300
acres
of
property
needed
for
phase
two
of
the
county’s
massive
Poplar
Gap-Lover’s
Gap
project
were
okayed
Friday
during
a
meeting
of
the
Buchanan
County
Industrial
Development
Authority.
IDA
members
also
agreed
to
hire
former
Virginia
Coalfield
Economic
Development
Authority
Director
Charles
Yates
as
a
consultant
on
the
overall
project.
The
property
is
being
purchased
from
Forestland
Group
and
adjoins
the
phase
I
property
already
being
developed
by
the
county.
IDA
members
started
the
meeting
in
darkness,
using
flashlights
to
help
them
see
the
various
documents
before
them
for
consideration.
The
lights
were
out
due
to
a
blown
transformer
on
Slate
Creek
which
knocked
out
electric
service
to
the
IDA
office.
The
lights
came
on
about
15
minutes
into
the
6
p.m.
meeting.
Buchanan
County
Economic
Development
Director
Craig
Horn
noted
the
property
being
purchased
will
cost
some
$630
per
acre
for
a
total
of
some
$837,000.
“We’ll
get
about
600
usable
acres
out
of
it,”
Horn
noted.
Brenda
Ward
made
the
motion
to
okay
the
purchase
and
to
authorize
the
chairman,
the
secretary
and
the
vice
chairman
to
sign
the
necessary
documents.
Harry
Presley
seconded
the
motion
and
it
was
agreed
to
unanimously.
Horn
noted
he
had
taken
an
industrial
prospect
to
view
the
property
Thursday.
He
did
not
identify
the
prospect.
In
other
action,
IDA
members
agreed
to
enter
into
a
contract
with
Paramont
Coal
Company
--
the
company
which
went
in
and
mined
phase
I
of
the
project
and
left
behind
flat
land
and
a
roadbed
--
to
develop
the
phase
II
property,
identified
as
the
Lover’s
Gap-Bull’s
Gap
phase,
at
a
cost
of
some
$7.79
million
to
the
county.
As
phase
II
is
mined,
IDA
Chairman
Jay
Rife
said
Paramont
will
leave
it
as
they
did
the
phase
I
property.
Specifically,
the
agreement
between
the
IDA
and
Paramont
calls
for
the
rough
grading
of
the
land
conducted
upon
completion
of
mining
and
the
rough
grading
of
a
2.4
mile
section
of
road
bed.
Part
of
phase
II
of
the
project
impacts
the
current
Poplar
Gap
Park,
however,
work
in
the
park
will
not
occur
until
August
1,
2007
and
under
the
terms
of
the
agreement,
the
park
will
close
on
that
date
until
such
time
as
the
roadway
construction
project
is
complete.
Park
facilities
impacted
will
include
the
entire
lower
level
of
the
park,
including
the
ball
fields,
stage
and
shelter
areas
and
the
southern
half
of
the
upper
level
of
the
park,
which
includes
everything
below
the
horse
ring.
The
contract
calls
for
the
phase
II
work
to
be
completed
on
or
before
December
31,
2008,
provided
that
mining
has
been
completed
on
or
before
August
31,
2008.
IDA
member
Pat
Fletcher
noted
the
$7.79
million
is
a
hefty
sum
and
asked
if
the
money
for
the
purchase
had
already
been
approved
for
the
IDA
budget.
“We
have
the
backing
of
the
board
of
supervisors
and
we
are
working
on
getting
additional
money,”
Horn
said,
adding
the
Virginia
Coalfield
Economic
Development
Authority
is
one
funding
source
with
which
the
IDA
is
already
working.
“CEDA
is
working
with
us,”
Horn
said.
For
more of the story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer,
on sale at newsstands now. To subscribe to the Mountaineer,
call 276-935-2123 today.
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