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July 28, 2005
WVDEP Rescinds Goals Coal Coal Silo Permit
By HNN Staff
Charleston, WV (HNN) -The West Virginia Department of Environmental
Protection has rescinded the mining permit allowing Goals Coal Co., a unit
of Massey Energy of Richmond, Va., to construct a coal silo at its Raleigh
County preparation plant near Sundial, W.Va.
DEP's Division of Mining and Reclamation issued the order Tuesday, July 26,
2005. The order requires the company to demolish work done on the silo, and
reclaim the area disturbed by the construction.
The move came as a result of a DEP investigation after differences were
discovered in maps certified by the mining company.
DEP approved a permit revision June 30 allowing the Massey Energy subsidiary
to construct a coal silo near its
preparation plant. When DEP discovered discrepancies between the permit
maps and the permit boundaries, it
immediately suspended the permit, halting construction on the silo. The
permit has been suspended since July 15, 2005.
During its investigation, the agency hired an independent surveyor to locate
structures and other fixed objects in and around the permit area. The survey
crew also identified the location of the original permit boundary marker,
which was placed in the ground in 1984 at the direction of an agency
inspector.
After reviewing all of the information gathered during its investigation,
the agency concluded that the silo was permitted based on inaccurate maps
and may be outside the legal permit boundary.
Because the agency based its June 30 permit decision on an inaccurate map
certified by a company engineer, the permit
has been rescinded.
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