Coal Tattoo

New report out on longwall damage in Pennylvania

The Citizens Coal Council has a new report out today detailing the damage from longwall mining in Pennsylvania:

Key among the Schmid & Company findings is the disproportionately large number of damaging impacts from the longwall mining method compared to the room-and-pillar technique. Longwall mining removes far more coal than the room-and-pillar method and causes intentional surface subsidence.

The DEP’s review indicates that 38,256 acres were newly-undermined in Pennsylvania between 2003 and 2008. But although the longwall and room-and-pillar mining methods each undermined approximately the same number of acres, properties and structures, longwall mining was responsible for almost all of the damage.

Schmid & Company did the report based on a Pennsylvania DEP review of underground mining damage under the state’s “Act 54.” The DEP review itself is available here and here, and I’ve posted a copy of the Citizens Coal Council report below: