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Utah Supreme Court Issues Decision on Large-Scale Coal Strip Mine with Devastating Effects on Southern Utah

Case Updates:

November 1, 2012

On October 30th, the Utah Supreme Court upheld a state mining permit that allows Alton Coal Development to strip mine roughly 600 acres of private lands - the Coal Hollow Mine. The Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council and National Parks Conservation Association, all plaintiffs in the lawsuit, reaffirmed their commitment to protecting the environmental resources that are key to southern Utah’s tourism-oriented economy. The Utah Supreme Court’s ruling sets the stage for a broader fight over the proposed expansion of the private mine onto 3,500 acres of publicly owned land within a dozen miles of Bryce Canyon National Park.

“Today’s decision is disappointing,” said Steve Bloch with Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. “However, this is too important. We will continue to fight to preserve the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the night skies at Bryce Canyon National Park enjoyed by thousands of tourists each year.”

“This is simply the wrong place and the wrong time for another coal mine” added Tim Wagner, with the Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club. “We should be investing in clean, responsible energies instead of doubling down on old, dirty, fossil fuels. BLM should do what is best for Southern Utah rather than what is best for one private company.”

In July, after receiving nearly 200,000 comments from federal agencies, the Hopi Tribe, and concerned citizens - including small business owners, doctors, and environmentalists - the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) committed to taking another look at the health and environmental impacts of the proposed expansion onto federal lands, with further environmental review expected in 2013. Earlier this year, both the National Park Service and Fish & Wildlife Service criticized the proposed expansion and urged BLM to reject the project.

To read more about Sierra Club’s work against unsustainable and environmentally dangerous mining practices, click here.  To view a short video on Alton, click here.

July 11, 2012

Sierra Club Praises BLM’s Decision to Take Another Look at Alton

On July 11, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced that it will go through “supplemental” environmental study before approving the proposed expansion of the Alton Coal Mine onto federal lands near Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. In January, the Sierra Club submitted detailed comments on behalf of 17 environmental and public health organizations criticizing the project. In all, BLM received more than 177,000 comments from concerned citizens. BLM’s announcement is a clear win for the Sierra Club, our partners, and all of our grassroots activists—together we persuaded BLM take another look at the Alton mine expansion and its unnecessary and harmful impacts.

 In addition to the comments received from business owners, environmental groups, and tribes, the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency all criticized BLM’s analysis of the mining’s impact on a range of important issues, including the proximity to Bryce Canyon National Park, air and water  quality, greenhouse gas emissions, night sky, and complete destruction of the southern-most sage grouse lek in North America.

 Click here to check out the a short documentary released by the Sierra Club and Center for American Progress highlighting the threat posed by private mining interests on some of America’s most sensitive public lands, including Bryce Canyon: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/07/public_lands_private_profits.Html.

December 15, 2010

On December 8, Sierra Club and its allies asked the Utah Supreme Court to stand up for air and water quality and essential tourism revenue after the Utah Board of Oil, Gas and Mining jeopardized quality of life in Utah by approving an approximately 600-acre coal strip mine. The Board issued its final ruling to approve Alton Coal Development’s “Coal Hollow” strip mine in the end of November, ignoring the damage the proposed mine will have on local economies, cultural resources and the environment. Alton has already begun preparing the site at the strip mine located just ten miles from Bryce Canyon National Park.

“It is disappointingly clear that the Board refused to consider how this mine will irreparably damage Southern Utah,” said Sierra Club organizer Clair Jones. “There is no way the Board should have allowed this mine to go forward if they considered the ways it would devastate small business owners and the air and water quality in Southern Utah. Unless the Utah Supreme Court does what is best for Southern Utah, we are going to see untold damage done so a company can strip mine a dirty, dangerous and outdated fossil fuel.”

On October 19, 2009, the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining approved a surface mining permit for the Alton strip mine. The permit allows for mining of 2 million tons of coal per year for approximately three years. Mining operations would require up to 300 coal truck trips per day traveling 110 miles one-way from Alton to Cedar City, which would result in one truck leaving the site every seven minutes.  

Sierra Club, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Parks Conservation Association all appealed the Division’s decision, arguing that plans for the strip mine fail to adequately account for potential harmful impacts on the area’s water, air, wildlife and cultural resources. The Board affirmed the mining permit after ruling against the groups on every issue and uniformly rejecting – without explanation or analysis – the detailed testimony of the accomplished scientists who identified serious defects in the plans for the Alton mine. The environmental groups’ latest action is an appeal of that decision.

Details and Documents:

News Articles:

BLM to conduct additional review on controversial Utah lease

July 11, 2012, Greenwire, Manuel Quinones

California Leads: Opposing larger Alton mine
July 4, 2012, The Salt Lake Tribune

Coal strip mine is off to bumpy start
March 13, 2011 by Mark Havnes, The Salt Lake Tribune

McEntee: Southern Utah strip mine threatens a way of life
March 14, 2011 by Peg McEntee, The Salt Lake Tribune

More Info:

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