By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News | File photo
Rumors have long swirled about a new coal mine making its way into Carbon County. Recent documents from the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mines show that one permit for the Kinny No. 2 Mine, located near the town of Scofield, could be approaching its final approval.
In the March 19 meeting of the Carbon County Commissioners, Commissioner Larry Jensen broke from the agenda to address this development, saying,” There used to be a mine there, and there’s been some reclamation done in the past.” Jensen continued,” Bob Need and Greg Hunt have been trying for a lot of years to pull something together there.”
Two mine permits were previously approved for the site, but nothing has come of them due to a lack of funding and community interest in putting a bond together for the project.
Current estimates say the proposed mine location holds 26 million tons of coal and, according to planning documents, would have minimal expected impact on local vegetation,” The only direct surface disturbance which will result from the Kinney No. 2 Mine will be that associated with development and construction of the required mine surface facilities. As a result of previous historic mining, reclamation, and other development activities, approximately 73% of the mine surface facilities disturbance area has already been extensively disturbed. Existing site soils, vegetation, and wildlife resource values reflect and are limited by the previous disturbance.”
However, with the permit placing the mine a half mile away from the town of Scofield, many residents have voiced concern over the permit’s approval, saying it would disturb the peace and quiet residents enjoy and increase traffic in the area.
Commissioner Jensen spoke to these concerns in the meeting,” Over the years, there have been some efforts to mitigate noise issues because it would be close to Scofield. For example, the fan that would feed air into the mine would be a little different from what we normally see in coal mines that would have a reduced amount of noise to it.”
Jensen also addressed the concerns of residents calling the county and opposing this mine, explaining that the county had no direct involvement in the process, with it falling under the purview of the UDOGM. However, he did say that when asked, the Commissioners expressed their support for mining in Carbon County. “That’s been our county’s lifeblood, so we’ve added a level of support without fully knowing the extent of what the mine might look like.”
There has also been confusion with the exact location of the mine, with many residents worried about its proximity to Scofield. “Concerns rightly worry about a mine being close to town. The likelihood of the mine being opened there is still unlikely but it could,” expressed Jensen. The major factor would be the mine finding a customer to supply coal to.
Ultimately, the mine would have to apply for a conditional use permit through the county and provide an in-depth presentation to the Planning and Zoning Commission. “There’s a lot that would have to happen before that ever gets approved.”
This is the latest in a decades-long saga of the Kinny No. 2 mine, dating back to 2005, when a permit to explore the creation of the mine was approved. The most recent permit application was filed by The Coal Energy Group 3, LLC, on Jan. 28 of this year.
The public comment period for this project is currently open and will last until Monday, March 24. Comments can be sent to the UDOGM to Environmental Manager Amanda Daniels at amandajdaniels@utah.gov or Deputy Director Dana Dean at danadean@utah.gov.
Comments can also be made through physical mail sent to:
Division of Oil, Gas and Mining
P.O. Box 145801
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-5801