Board of Oil, Gas and Mining Upholds Mine Permit Approval of Utah's First Surface Coal Mining Operation

摘要

Alton Coal Development, LLC (Alton) submitted an application to conduct surface coal mining operations to the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining (Division) in 2007. The permit area consists of 635 acres of private land in Kane County and is located approximately 10 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park. The Division approved Alton's permit application in 2009, but the decision was challenged by the Sierra Club, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, and National Parks Conservation Association (the Petitioners) in a petition before the Utah Board of Oil, Gas and Mining (Board).