Hearings set on proposed revision of mining rule

Hearings set on proposed revision of mining rule

October 11, 2007 5:35 AM

CHARLESTON, W.Va.

Public hearings will be held the same day in four coal states on a proposed revision of federal mining rules that would exempt valley fills from a buffer zone requirement.The U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement said Wednesday that the hearings are set for Oct. 24 in Charleston, Hazard, Ky., Knoxville, Tenn., and Washington, Pa.
The agency wants to exempt valley fills from a 20-year-old rule that prohibits any mining activity within 100 feet of streams.
Valley fills are waste dirt and rock from mountaintop removal mining, which involves shearing off the tops of ridges to expose a coal seam.

Information from: The Charleston Gazette, http://www.wvgazette.com