Update from the Montgomery Creek permit conference

Montgomery Creek residents and other KFTC members used the permit conference process to send a strong message to the Kentucky Department of Natural Resources and International Coal Group that community members will shine a light on any company attempting to break the law or take advantage of local families.

After the company trespassed and destroyed a portion of the Sumner property in 2006, family members wanted to ensure that the company planned to only reclaim the land—not continue mining on it.

I think they got the message that ICG is not allowed to come on the Sumner land again.  We wanted to make sure that the company doesn’t make another "mistake.  Even though the boundaries were clearly marked, the company still denied trespassing on purpose.  I was really surprised that they actually apologized for trespassing on our land,

-Maude Sumner Campbell

Even though the state wanted to limit people’s comments solely to the additional acreage, residents maintained the importance of previous company practices, the cumulative impact of the mining, and the harassment residents are getting for standing up to protect their property.  People asked why the state would even consider permitting additional acreage when previous violations have not been addressed.  Objections were also raised about adding an additional valley fill when the water quality data from the area indicates high levels of heavy metals, and there are over 1,600 acres and 9 other valley fills available for waste disposal.