thanks for posting that. i don't think this is the first time that they tried? kordite, i think you knew a bunch about this
2009-06-03 14:47:47
25
Proposed Mine Adjacent to Ohio Pyle State Park--1000 ft from the Trail
Not sure if this has been posted here yet, but there is a zoning meeting for it on June 10th, and I think I am going... I may have room for one or two more in the teeny ford ranger pick-up if anyone is interested:
Proposed Mine Adjacent to Ohiopyle State Park
The mining company Amerikohl is planning to open a 500-acre surface coal mine adjacent to Ohiopyle State Park, State Gamelands #51, and 1000 feet from Great Allegheny Passage Bike Trail.
Known as the Curry property, the area is currently zoned for agricultural use. Amerikohl is petitioning the Fayette County Zoning Board for a zoning exception. Mining cannot proceed without this exception. It is a step separate from the DEP permit process.
ORGANIZATIONS WITH AN INTEREST IN OHIOPYLE SP and the Laurel Highlands area in general, are urged to attend the following meeting and express their opinions:
Fayette County Zoning Board Meeting
10:00 am, Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Fayette County Public Works Building
22 East Main Street
Uniontown, PA 15401
Letters to local Newspapers:
Herald Standard, (Uniontown)
300 word limit
Include name, address and phone for verification
hsletters@heraldstandard.com
2009-06-03 14:32:18
is there a website for further info?
2009-06-03 14:48:19
there is a big entry at Venture Outdoors' blog:
http://blog.ventureoutdoors.org/2009/06/01/mine-proposed-near-ohiopyle-state-park/
and i am looking for articles, etc.
2009-06-03 14:49:34
here is an article from a year ago that describes what Amerikohl wants to do. And outlines how many trucks will leave the mine how often daily.
Also, a great quote from the mining co:
"The property is forest, which Maxwell said would be restored to forest.
He said one truck would leave the mine every 25 minutes, and the mine would operate from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Blasting would be limited to weekdays. He said Amerikohl would add five or more loads of lime a day as a soil amendment.
Trucks transporting coal from the mine and bringing lime in would use these roads: Camp Carmel Road, Township Road 547, Greenbrier Road, Township Road 1055 and Chalk Hill-Ohiopyle Road.
When Maxwell said the proposed mine's site is close to Ohiopyle State Park "in an area not used by people," many snickered and someone said, "Animals live there." Maxwell said the site is about five miles from Cucumber Falls. Cucumber Falls is a popular Ohiopyle destination."
2009-06-03 15:10:20
ugh. i wish i was in pgh for these sorts of thigns.
2009-06-03 17:29:50
keep us updated. i'd like to get a blog post up
2009-06-03 21:30:12
Will do.
Again I have a spot or two in the pick up truck. I can take 2 smallish folks, or one folk who wants to be comfy.
2009-06-03 22:13:33
2009-06-04 22:09:02
you can also support the yough watershed campaingn legal defense fund of the mountain watershed assn, http://www.mtwatershed.com/donate.html
2009-06-04 22:29:40
This is my blog about my thoughts on how the last meeting went:
http://dergeis.livejournal.com/256913.html
If you can, go to this meeting so they don't steamroll it through this time.
2009-06-04 23:19:33
caitlin, i may be interested
2009-06-04 23:26:04
erok do you want to go? the meeting is at 10 and according to google maps it takes 1hour 20 min to get there. Im a freak so I would leave at 8...and get you a bit after that?
Let me know. If you cant go someone else can--wednesday am!
Also if you want to speak at the meeting I think there is someone to contact ahead of time.
2009-06-08 18:28:11
Went to this and have a LOT to tell you if you are interested, but I dont have time to do it right now. Highlights:
1-was LONG. Had to leave before the end.
2-Lawyer for Amerikohl was 32 years old at most, was not well spoken, and from a tree hugging bike riding conservation perspective, did not have a grasp on reality
3-awesome presentation about economic impact of bike-hike trail
4-awesome presentation from urban planning and conservation professor from upenn, who also made a great map that i wish i had a digital copy of.
2009-06-10 22:29:04
Was it a map of where the mine will be?
2009-06-11 00:23:08
This is a map I made based on the maps I saw at the first meeting
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pI5-4uev8zHbJv8TnW1wvw?feat=directlink
The darker shape withing the larger border is where the coal seam is located. The diamonds represent sediment ponds. You can see to the right the three streams that will be completely destroyed. To the left is a branch of Morgan Run that they claim will not be impacted but the map clearly shows differently. I've also marked the 19th Century iron furnace that trucks will be rumbling by, and likely shaking apart.
2009-06-11 00:55:04
The map I have is a GIS map that shows where the mine site is among all the other protected areas that are State Game Lands, Biodiversity Areas, Ohio Pyle State Park, and Western PA Conservancy Lands, as well as the trail and Yough River. Basically, the mine site is in the middle of all these things---surrounded by protected areas.
2009-06-11 13:09:43
oh the map also shows two water supply intakes on the yough downstream from where the proposed mine site is, and how many people get their water supplies from the river.
2009-06-11 13:11:17
thanks for going. sorry i couldn't go. this is a little bit of an aside, but did you know that the international coal conference is here?
2009-06-11 13:51:15
Look at this:
Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board denies strip mine near Ohiopyle!
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_639212.html?source=rss&feed=10
2009-08-21 02:49:45
Rad!!! Ohiopyle is a great place to have so close.
-Joe
2009-08-21 13:24:37
wow. i'm kind of shocked actually. great news
2009-08-21 13:51:12
so does this mean...like...the system worked?
2009-08-21 15:59:00
That depends on who you are.
2009-08-21 16:35:04
a public hearing that wasn't a farce that actually got what the public wanted
2009-08-21 18:01:51