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.