Coal companies can mine over already mined seams
FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 10, 2017) –Governor Bevin recently signed into law a measure that will remove unnecessary permitting regulations on Kentucky’s coal industry. House Bill 234, sponsored by Rep. Jim Gooch, R-Providence, eliminates the permit requirement for all surface area over underground coal mines, relieving burdensome costs to the industry.
“We all know the decimation Kentucky’s coal industry has faced under the Obama Administration,” said Rep. Gooch, whose district is made up of coal producing counties. “With the new Trump Administration in place, we are seeing real relief for coal country, and it is imperative that our state’s government follows suit. This measure will reprieve coal companies of unnecessary costs and help in our efforts to get our coal miners back to work.”
Current law puts Kentucky in excess of federal requirements for surface area permitting. House Bill 234 modernizes our statutes to be more in line with other coal producing states.
Since the beginning of the new federal administration, Kentucky has seen several coal mines reopen, getting a multitude of unemployed miners back to work. House Bill 234 swiftly passed the House and Senate in a bipartisan manner.
