More coal mining in national forest OK'dSep 14 - Rick Rouan The Columbus Dispatch, OhioFederal officials have agreed to open more of Wayne National Forest to underground coal mining. The U.S. Forest Service said yesterday that an environmental study concluded that the forest would not be significantly affected by leasing mineral rights and mining beneath 433 acres in Perry and Morgan counties, east of the town of Corning. The federal government owns about 41 percent of the mineral rights beneath the 240,000-acre forest in southeastern Ohio. There is one active coal mine beneath the forest, where a private entity retained mineral rights. Environmental groups say mining could pollute the area. "We're really disappointed by the decision," said Nathan Johnson, staff attorney with the Buckeye Forest Council. "There are a number of problems that really should bar this project from going forward." Groups have 45 days to appeal the decision. Johnson said the environmental study did not adequately address the potential for greenhouse-gas emissions and other air-quality problems that could result from power plants using coal mined from under Wayne. The Forest Service's study did consider air quality, but focused on effects to the surface of Wayne National Forest, said forest supervisor Anne Carey. Any surface effects will happen on private land. "If this coal is leased and if this coal is mined and if this coal goes to a power plant, then there will be additional carbon that's released into the atmosphere. That's something we disclosed in the document," Carey said. Opening more of the forest to mining comes on the heels of a decision last year to permit fracking, a process in which water, sand and chemicals are pumped underground to release oil and gas trapped in shale formations. No shale-drilling companies have set up shop in the forest yet, spokesman Gary Chancey said. The U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management would lease the coal for mining. If it does so, it could be mined using a room and pillar method, whereby pillars of coal remain after mining is completed to prevent mine collapse. rrouan@dispatch.com @RickRouan http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=29976296 |