New Mine in Works for Mon County
CONSOL says project will provide 520 jobs
Morgantown Dominion Post
17 January 2012
By Tracy Eddy
A longwall mining complex — including a deep mine and a refuse
disposal site — could be built about a mile from Wadestown, near
the Wetzel County line.
CONSOL Energy estimates the complex will offer 520 jobs,
spokeswoman Lynn Seay said in an email Monday. Another 2,600 jobs
— such as transporting materials or equipment — could be created
indirectly, she said. She didn’t respond in time for this report
to a question about whether the jobs would be union.
The Pittsburgh District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is
hosting a public meeting today to collect residents’ comments
about the proposed construction.
Dan Jones, public affairs specialist, said Wolfpen Knob
Development Co. — a CONSOL Energy subsidiary — would make a
presentation about its project at the meeting.
Seay said the Mason-Dixon Mining Complex will include a longwall
mine and related processing facilities — such as a fresh water
impoundment, a refuse disposal site and a preparation plant. The
mine entrance will be in state — just west of Wadestown, she said.
The project is expected to have a 30-year life span.
Construction of the complex could start in two years, Seay said,
but will depend on the market.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing a study of the project’s
possible impact on the environment, Jones said — not just the
impact on streams and wetlands, but also on the people living in
the area.
The corps will review all comments submitted and include them as
part of the environmental impact study.
Jones said it was still very early in the process. The amount of
time spent on the study is different with each permit application,
he said — it could take three months, six months or roughly a
year.
According to permits filed with the West Virginia Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP), part of the proposed complex site
will be in Wetzel County. Sealy said the area in Wetzel County
will be used primarily for reclamation purposes.
Wolfpen applied for a permit from the DEP for the project’s refuse
disposal site last year. According to department records, the
application is pending.
Permit documents show that the north boundary of the refuse site
will lie 100 feet from Oak Forest United Methodist Church and Oak
Forest Cemetery.
The Dominion Post previously reported that some people were
concerned about the proximity, but the church’s pastor, Rose
Saunders, had said church members were comfortable with the mining
company’s plans.
A PUBLIC MEETING on the proposed Mason-Dixon Mining Complex will
be from 5:30-8:30 p.m. today at Clay-Battelle High School, 6226
Mason-Dixon Hwy., Blacksville. Comments can also be submitted by
phone at 412-395-7188 or by email to mason.dixon@usace.army.mil.