E.P.A. Approves Ohio Surface Coal Mine

No. 10-OPA025

E.P.A. review and coordination with company results in less environmental impacts

CHICAGO (March 8, 2010) - The E.P.A. (EPA) has concluded its review of a Clean Water Act permit application for Oxford Mining Company's suggested Kaiser Mathias mine in Tuscarawas County, Ohio and has approved the project. After extensive coordination with the coal operator, E.P.A. is requiring significant enhancements to the surface coal mining plan to reduce anticipated environmental and water quality impacts and repair environmental damages caused by previous mining in the watershed. There are no valley fills associated with this mine.

The plan changes identified by E.P.A. will result in an overall ecological improvement to the Stone Creek and Oldtown Creek watersheds through the reduction of sediment loads to downstream waters, replacement of lost wetlands and stream functions, the restoration of areas previously mined and long-term location protection.

Enhancements to the plan will require the company to:
• Reduce stream impacts by in excess of 80 percent from 12,930 linear feet to 2,352 linear feet.
• Reduce wetland impacts from 3.39 acres to less than one acre.
• Restore the entire 531 acre mining location to repair environmental and water quality impacts from previous mining activities at the site.
• Conduct enhanced biological and water quality monitoring to protect streams and establish conservation easements to permanently protect undisturbed streams.
• Reduce erosion from previously mined areas into streams by an estimated 115.66 tons a year.
• Require stream and wetlands mitigation to replace lost ecological function.

The Kaiser-Mathias mine is a "remining" plan that will recover coal at a location mined prior to the Clean Water Act and the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Clean Water Act approval for new mining at the location provides an opportunity to require that previous environmental and water quality damages within the watershed are repaired. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to issue a final Clean Water Act permit for the Kaiser Mathias mine shortly.

The Kaiser Mathias mine was evaluated by E.P.A. as part of the EPA/Army Corps Clean Water Act "Enhanced Coordination Procedures" for review of Appalachian surface coal mining projects.
The details of EPA's revisions to the permit are described here: http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/guidance/pdf/Kaiser_Mathias_030510.pdf

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