Wyoming regulators approve state's first new coal mine in decades
2020-07-08 13:39:12 [Print]
Wyoming environmental regulators have approved a coal firm's application to construct the state's first new coal mine in nearly half a century.
The Department of Environmental Quality announced on Tuesday it will issue a coal mining permit to Brook Mining Company LLC following years of internal review and public debate. The permit will allow the firm to mine for coal just north of Sheridan.
For nearly a decade, coal technology firm Ramaco Carbon (Brook Mine's parent company), has fought to revive mining at a site eight miles northwest of Sheridan to supply its future research facilities with coal. But the state permit application has been long in the making and has faced strong opposition from several nearby landowners.
On Feb. 26, Wyoming environmental regulators declared the company's revised permit application "technically complete." The announcement opened up a 60-day public comment. On May 13, the agency also held an informal conference where it accepted public comment on the matter.
Though it agreed to extend the coal mining permit, the state added a dozen additional conditions to the permit after hearing extensive feedback from the public.
The company anticipates employing 30 to 40 miners when it initially opens.
The Department of Environmental Quality announced on Tuesday it will issue a coal mining permit to Brook Mining Company LLC following years of internal review and public debate. The permit will allow the firm to mine for coal just north of Sheridan.
For nearly a decade, coal technology firm Ramaco Carbon (Brook Mine's parent company), has fought to revive mining at a site eight miles northwest of Sheridan to supply its future research facilities with coal. But the state permit application has been long in the making and has faced strong opposition from several nearby landowners.
On Feb. 26, Wyoming environmental regulators declared the company's revised permit application "technically complete." The announcement opened up a 60-day public comment. On May 13, the agency also held an informal conference where it accepted public comment on the matter.
Though it agreed to extend the coal mining permit, the state added a dozen additional conditions to the permit after hearing extensive feedback from the public.
The company anticipates employing 30 to 40 miners when it initially opens.
