On May 20, Prairie Rivers Network and Murdock-area residents attended a public hearing to request that IEPA deny the permit renewal for the Murdock mine, where the land is being reclaimed to a natural state. Alpena Vision Resources, the owner of the mine, says the mine needs the renewal to market the fine coal refuse on the site, which they have hopes of selling to a utility in southern Illinois this summer.
Traci Barkley from Prairie Rivers Network says it’s a money-making scheme.
If it were really about the reclamation, they would take the carbon on site and fill the impoundment with that. They’re trying to squeeze the site for as much money as they can.”
The reclamation has been ongoing for more than 20 years, with recent pollution complaints and questions about whether Alpena is in compliance with reclamation standards. Prairie Rivers Network is also concerned about potential ground and surface water pollution from the site.
Read more about Prairie Rivers Network’s request for denial in the News-Gazette (PDF) and the Chicago Sun-Times (PDF).
