Rustic Ridge No. 1 Mine near Donegal has state approval to expand its operations under the Pennsylvania Turnpike and tap into 1,450 acres of a coal seam in an area along Route 711.
The work is expected to extend the mine’s life by six to eight years, said Mark Tercek, president of LCT Energy, which operates the mine. LCT Energy is part of the Latrobe-based Robindale Energy Services Inc. group of 17 coal and energy companies.
The permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection allows the company to mine about 4,200 acres of coal: 2,845 acres in its existing operations in Donegal Township and Saltlick Township in Fayette County, and an additional 1,450 acres in the expanded area north of the turnpike.
The permit for the expansion will allow LCT Energy to tap into a coal seam between 200 feet and 600 feet underground to mine metallurgical coal, which is used to make coke for the production of steel. The coal is sold in the U.S. and across the globe, Tercek said.
The expanded mining operation cannot disturb the surface of the ground when tapping into the coal seam; rather, it will be accessed through an existing portal along County Line Road in Donegal Township.
LCT Energy anticipates it will begin mining in the new section this fall, Tercek said. It does not expect to hire extra employees, as the mining is an extension of the existing operations. The company expects to maintain its annual production of up to 600,000 tons, Tercek said.
LCT Energy’s agreement with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will allow the company to extract a limited amount of coal beneath the turnpike near Donegal and mine its coal reserves north of the toll road, said Marissa Orbanek, a turnpike commission spokeswoman.
“The policies and procedures in place with the coal company adhere to industry standards and support the roadway,” Orbanek said.
The company will cross under the turnpike in a few locations, Tercek said. The company will remove coal using a pillar-and-room method, which leaves pillars to support the mine roof, according to the DEP. It will not be permitted to extract the coal pillars when it discontinues operations.
Watershed concerns
The mine operations have long been opposed by the Mountain Watershed Association, a Melcroft-based environmental organization that said the expansion poses a danger to the Fourmile Run watershed, which feeds Donegal Lake and Loyalhanna Creek, said Stacey Magda, managing organizer for the association.
Mountain Watershed, which commissioned a hydrology report on the mine expansion area, claims mining could cause a drop in the water flow in the upper tributaries of Fourmile Run. If that happens, it could lower the groundwater and put more than 100 private water supplies at risk. The association believes new acid mine discharges could move south to the Indian Creek and Youghiogheny River watersheds.
Treated water from Rustic Ridge’s mining operations or from erosion can be discharged into a tributary of Champion Creek, which flows into the Youghiogheny River, according to the state permit.
“It’s just a shocking setback to the whole area,” Magda said.
Mountain Watershed filed an Unsuitable for Mining petition last year against Rustic Ridge No. 1 Mine and the expansion area, but the DEP deemed it frivolous because the organization could not prove that the underground mining would impact surface water, Magda said.
“The DEP continues to prioritize business interests over Pennsylvanians’ rights to clean air, pure water and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and aesthetic values of the environment,” Magda said.
The environmental group is planning a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. May 15 at St. Raymond of the Mountain Church, 170 School House Lane, Donegal Township. Magda said they will provide residents with an update on the mining permit and offer information on filing a pre-mining survey of their property.