New Mine in Works for Mon County

CONSOL says project will provide 520 jobs

Morgantown Dominion Post
17 January 2012
By Tracy Eddy

A longwall mining complex — including a deep mine and a refuse disposal site — could be built about a mile from Wadestown, near the Wetzel County line.

CONSOL Energy estimates the complex will offer 520 jobs, spokeswoman Lynn Seay said in an email Monday. Another 2,600 jobs — such as transporting materials or equipment — could be created indirectly, she said. She didn’t respond in time for this report to a question about whether the jobs would be union.

The Pittsburgh District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hosting a public meeting today to collect residents’ comments about the proposed construction.

Dan Jones, public affairs specialist, said Wolfpen Knob Development Co. — a CONSOL Energy subsidiary — would make a presentation about its project at the meeting.

Seay said the Mason-Dixon Mining Complex will include a longwall mine and related processing facilities — such as a fresh water impoundment, a refuse disposal site and a preparation plant. The mine entrance will be in state — just west of Wadestown, she said. The project is expected to have a 30-year life span.

Construction of the complex could start in two years, Seay said, but will depend on the market.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing a study of the project’s possible impact on the environment, Jones said — not just the impact on streams and wetlands, but also on the people living in the area.

The corps will review all comments submitted and include them as part of the environmental impact study.

Jones said it was still very early in the process. The amount of time spent on the study is different with each permit application, he said — it could take three months, six months or roughly a year.

According to permits filed with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), part of the proposed complex site will be in Wetzel County. Sealy said the area in Wetzel County will be used primarily for reclamation purposes.

Wolfpen applied for a permit from the DEP for the project’s refuse disposal site last year. According to department records, the application is pending.

Permit documents show that the north boundary of the refuse site will lie 100 feet from Oak Forest United Methodist Church and Oak Forest Cemetery.

The Dominion Post previously reported that some people were concerned about the proximity, but the church’s pastor, Rose Saunders, had said church members were comfortable with the mining company’s plans.

A PUBLIC MEETING on the proposed Mason-Dixon Mining Complex will be from 5:30-8:30 p.m. today at Clay-Battelle High School, 6226 Mason-Dixon Hwy., Blacksville. Comments can also be submitted by phone at 412-395-7188 or by email to mason.dixon@usace.army.mil.