Champaign, August 3, 2000 ­ Opponents of a Vermilion County mine will be holding a press conference on Monday, August 7th at 1:00 pm at the residence of Jean Heyward (ADDRESS). Representatives of Concerned Citizens for a Quality Environment and Prairie Rivers Network will be talking about the importance of protecting the Little Vermilion River and the serious threat posed by the proposed mine.

At a public hearing held on July 12th, over 200 local residents voiced opposition to the proposed mine, stating that the mine would severely degrade the Little Vermilion River and impact people’s homes and properties immediately adjacent to the mine. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Office of Mines and Minerals is currently considering granting permission to Black Beauty to begin blasting and mining activities on the proposed site. The Office of Mines and Minerals failed to do an assessment of environmental impacts, contrary to requirements of state and federal law. Prairie Rivers Network and local residents are challenging the mining permit .

"The Governor is looking into this matter at our request," said Robert Moore, Executive Director of Prairie Rivers Network, a statewide river conservation group based in Champaign. "Mistakes were clearly made by the Office of Mines and Minerals and we hope IDNR and the Governor will correct those mistakes."

The Office of Mines and Minerals also failed to recognize that the Little Vermilion River is listed on the state’s Natural Areas Inventory site. It further failed to notice that three state endangered species depend on the habitat provided by the Little Vermilion River. In addition it did not recognize potential impacts to the town of Georgetown’s water supply and the Carl Flierman’s River Nature Preserve which are immediately downstream.

Last year the Illinois Department of Natural Resources denied permission for the town of Georgetown to enlarge a reservoir on the same site as the proposed mine, because of its potential to harm the river. Now it is prepared to allow Black Beauty and Peabody Coal do even greater harm to the river.

Illinois EPA is also reviewing Black Beauty’s application for a water pollution permit. Prairie Rivers Network and Concerned Citizens for a Quality Environment will be reviewing this as well. In addition, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs has given a $700,000 grant to Black Beauty to support their operations in Vermilion County.

"We’re very concerned about what the mine is going to do to the river, and what impact it will have on our lives," said Rose Ellis, a resident of nearby Vermilion Grove, and one of the leading opponents to the mine.

"I’ve fished this river my whole life, and now Peabody Coal may see to it that nobody else ever fishes there again," stated Joe Grave, a lifelong resident of the area that is concerned about the potential impact to the Little Vermilion River.

Added Moore, "The Little Vermilion is a very special river that the state has acted to protect many times in the past. We hope they’ll act to protect it again."