DMME Approves Discharge Permit for CONSOL
Two More Agencies Must Still Act on Company Permit Request

   A permit to allow Consolidation Coal Company to discharge Buchanan No. 1 mine water into the Levisa River has been approved by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy; however two more approvals are needed from other state regulatory agencies before the company can begin discharging the mine water into the Levisa.
   CONSOL officials were pleased with the decision and said the decision leading to the permit was probably the most extensive review of a mine discharge permit the company had ever been through (see related story, this issue).
   DMME announced Friday afternoon that the CONSOL permit application, based upon DMME’s review, had met with state and federal environmental standards and requirements and as a result, issued the permit.
   Area residents who wish to object to the issuance of the permit have 30 days from the date CONSOL learned of the permit approval -- September 15 -- to file a written request for a formal hearing with DMME.
   The permit approved by DMME will allow CONSOL to discharge untreated mine water high in chlorides into the Levisa through a diffuser system to be located in the Poetown area of the river. The discharge amount will be based on river flow and chloride levels in the stream and in the mine water, but could be as high as 10,000 gallons per minute, based on the permit allowances. As proposed, the mine water would enter the stream through a diffuser system after having been pumped from the mine, near Contrary via overland pipeline to Poetown. It would then travel through a mixing zone area of the river where it would be diluted and mix in with the water already in the river.
   A permit from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has not yet been formally approved, however, a spokesman for that agency indicated Monday it was just a formality at this point now that DEQ’s assessments have been completed. He added, it is expected DEQ will issue its permit as early as week’s end.
   The final permit needed is from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, however prior to the issuance of that permit, a formal public hearing must be held.
    Wilford Kale, a Virginia Marine Resources Commission Public Information Officer, noted the agency has received protests from the county and from several citizens related to the issuance of its permit. As a result he said a formal public hearing will be held.
   He said VMRC has not yet evaluated the permit request, indicating VRMC had previously stated it would not consider it until after DEQ took its action.
    According to Kale, the hearing will likely be held in October or November in Newport News during a commission meeting.
    Buchanan County Administrator W.J. Caudill confirmed Tuesday, however, that he had been in contact with Buchanan County Board of Supervisors Chairman Roger Rife to discuss the issue and as a result of that discussion, he said, he will be contacting Sen. Phillip Puckett and Del. Dan Bowling to request their assistance in asking the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to hold the public hearing in Buchanan County in order to allow citizens in the community to be affected by any granting of a permit better access to attend that hearing.
    It was noted citizens may also request the Virginia Marine Resources Commission hearing be held in Buchanan County instead of in Newport News.

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Coal Company Pleased With Agency Decision

   Friday's decision by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy to approve a discharge permit revision for CONSOL's Buchanan No. 1 Mine was applauded by the company.
    "We are pleased," CONSOL Vice President Tom Hoffman said in a telephone interview from his Pittsburgh, Pa., office on Tuesday. "I think it's fair to say this is probably the most extensively reviewed mine discharge permit we've ever been through."
    The company has proposed building a diffuser system in the Levisa River near Poetown at which point untreated mine water from the Buchanan No. 1 mine would be discharged into the river at a flow rate of up to 10,000 gallons per minute depending on river conditions.
    Hoffman noted the company had gone through seven formal resubmittals and had seen its application examined through two Environmental Protection Agency reviews,  as well as those by the Office of Surface Mining, the U.S. Fish and Willdlife Service, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
     "There have been a lot of people who have looked at it," Hoffman said. "Having said that, many different agencies of government have reviewed it and concluded the permit meets all environmental and legal requirements of the state of Virginia and the United States.
    The company is still awaiting a permit from the VIrginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
    Assuming those permits have been obtained, however, Hoffman said the company will begin the process of constructing the pumps and diffuser system. He said it is likely to take some 12 to 14 months for that system to be completed,
    "We want to emphasize that the permit is critical to the ongoing life of the Buchanan mine," Hoffman said.
    He noted the mine employs 430 people and has a payroll of close to $30 million annually.
     Additionally, he said the mine purchases a number of products and services in the region amounting to close to $70 million.
     "Most of that spending takes place pretty close to home," Hoffman added.
     He went on to note that CONSOL feels good about the fact that it is able to operate the mine and bring the benefits it does to Southwest Virginia and its employees at the Buchanan mine.
    "It is an important permit to us," he said.
     Hoffman noted the company understands the concerns people have had with the environmental issues referenced as the permitting process has occurred, but he suggested, "the thoroughness of that review should lay to rest those concerns."
     "I think it was justifiably issued," Hoffman concluded.

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