Municipal News
- Last Updated on Monday, 01 April 2013 00:54
By J.R. Brower
A company known as Ram Farms, LLC has informed local officials of its intentions to establish a deep mine to extract between one and two million tons of coal in Nottingham Township over the next 10 to 12 years.
A company known as Ram Farms, LLC has informed local officials of its intentions to establish a deep mine to extract between one and two million tons of coal in Nottingham Township over the next 10 to 12 years.
The Planning Commission has already looked at their plan, and it was discussed by the Nottingham Board of Supervisors at their March 18 meeting.
Supervisor Doug King said that the area that will be mined will be mostly under northern Nottingham Township, but it will also include a section of Union Township and smaller section of Peters Township. He said that it is the same area where the now defunct Mathies Mine once operated for many years.
Several residents, who live close to where the mine’s entrance will be located, were in attendance and voiced opposition to the deep mining. Dennis Franks, who lives on Little Mingo Road, said he will do everything in his power to try to stop the mine. He said he values his property too much to just sit by and let the coal company do whatever they want. He is especially concerned about truck traffic, excessive noise as well as the dirt and dust that he expects will cover his home often.
Asked if it will be a 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week operation, Board Chairman Pete Marcoline said that the township certainly has the power to regulate hours so that there will be only mining during daylight hours and none on weekends.
As a result of increased coal surface mining in the area, Nottingham Township is in the process of improving its mineral removal ordinance. Marcoline said that the new ordinance is “a work in progress” and will now need to address deep mining as well. He and the supervisors reviewed some of the proposed changes including mining activity setbacks from property lines and dwellings as well as acceptable noise levels.
The board explained to the residents that since Ram Farms has already submitted its application to deep-mine coal in the township, they will need to comply with the current ordinance which specifies that they operate no closer than 500 feet from existing dwellings and 100 feet from existing property lines. Also specified in the current mineral removal ordinance is that the operator does not exceed noise levels of 60 dba. Marcoline acknowledged that Amerikohl, Inc., the primary surface-miner in the township, has already told them that it will be difficult to keep noise levels that low.
When the new proposed mineral removal ordinance is approved, the changes put into place will apply to coal operators who apply thereafter. The Planning Commission and Planning Consultant Roberta Sarraf have reviewed the proposed ordinance and offered suggested changes, and the Board of Supervisors with the help of Solicitor James Liekar will now incorporate them into a final draft for approval.
Regarding the next step for the Ram Farms, LLC deep mining project, a public hearing on their conditional use application will be held at the Nottingham Municipal Building on Monday, April 1 at 7:20 p.m.
In other business before on March 18, the board:
Approved renewal of an agreement with Waste Management to provide and haul a 42 cubic yard compactor with material from the Nottingham recycling unit to Greenstar on Neville Island at the rate of $395 per haul. The contract was renewed for three years.
Acknowledged receipt of a copy of a letter from Solicitor James Liekar to Sunoco Logistics requesting a copy of the Certificate of Convenience from the state Public Utilities Commission. The letter also requested more information from Sunoco in regards to their Mariner East Pipeline project that will carry natural gas liquids through the township. Secretary Emilee Gadd said that Sunoco had not yet responded to Liekar’s request.
Received notifications from companies indicating their intentions to drill natural gas wells in the area. Chesapeake Energy plans to drill two wells in Carroll Township, one on the Robert Smith property and the other on the Bernard Werner property. Range Resources plans to drill one well in Somerset Township to be called the US Natural Resources Unit.
Was informed that Township Treasurer Sherry Hreha will attend the meeting of the Washington County Tax Collection Committee on March 27 at North Strabane Municipal Building.
Scheduled a public hearing on the Randy Campbell Home Occupation/Conditional Use application for April 1 at 7:10 p.m. Approval has been recommended by the Planning Commission.
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