Company Wants to Develop New Mine in Dunkard Township

Washington PA Observer Reporter
11 November 2010
By Bob Niedbala, Staff writer
niedbala@observer-reporter.com

A company based in Somerset has filed an application with the state Department of Environmental Protection to develop a new mine to mine Pittsburgh seam coal in Dunkard Township.

The application for the coal mining activity permit for the CW Morgan Mine was filed with DEP by CWMM LLC, a company formed specifically for the purpose of developing the mine.

The company plans to mine coal in Dunkard, Perry, Whiteley and Greene townships that was once part of the reserves of the former Shannopin Mine, said William D. Forster, company president.

The timetable for developing the mine will be determined by the permitting process, Forster said. "I would hope we could be mining in roughly two years," he said.

Forster said his company is still developing plans for the mine and didn't know how many miners it eventually would employ. He did say, however, the mine would conduct room-and-pillar mining using continuous miners to produce coal.

According to the mining permit, the company expects to produce 600,000 tons or more of coal a year during the life of the mine, which is estimated at 18 years.

Forster said his previous experience in the mining industry has been primarily on the financial side and his company has no other mines.

According to a notice published on the permit application, the company will construct its surface operations on 72 acres of land near Bald Hill Church Road and Pigeon Hill Road.

The mine will enter the coal seam by a proposed slope at what will be called the Bobtown Portal. Coal from the mine will be trucked off site.

The company is seeking to permit 2,745.9 acres of coal, which includes two separate larger blocks connected by a corridor that runs east to west. The permit area is roughly between Bobtown and Interstate 79.

A copy of the permit application is available for inspection at the Greene County Register and Recorders Office.

Written comments or requests for a hearing or informal conference can be made in writing to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, California District Office, 25 Technology Drive, California Technology Park, Coal Center, PA 15423.