Years later, permit given for mining in Sloans Valley

Residents of the Sloans Valley area of Pulaski County once again find themselves fighting to protect their homes and community after the Beshear administration granted a strip mine permit for a controversial mining operation.

Starting in 2007, residents and supporters worked to stop the proposed expansion of a mountaintop removal operation. Besides their homes and water, they pointed out that the proposed mine also threatens the world-class Sloans Valley Cave System (listed in the Atlas of Great Caves of the World) and the pristine Neeley’s Creek (which drains into Lake Cumberland), and would disturb the location of Harriette Simpson Arnow’s literary masterpieces about Kentucky, its people, culture and natural beauty.

In 2008, the Friends of Sloans Valley filed a petition to have land in Pulaski and McCreary counties designated unsuitable for all types of mining. KFTC was granted intervener status.

State officials did not grant the petition but did place restrictions on the 900 acres where the new mining would take place. Those restrictions included no variance from the approximate original contour requirement and restoration of the land to a higher or better use, in this case hardwood forest.

Although the law already requires both of these, state officials routinely allow waivers at the request of coal companies.

Additional restrictions include better-than-usual sediment controls, a limited blasting schedule, and no blasting on weekends and federal holidays so as to not disturb the “higher number of visitors engaging in recreational activities” in the nearby cave system during these times.

However, an appeals court ruled last year in a different case that blanket restrictions could not be placed on an area without also designating that area unsuitable for mining.

This past March, state officials granted Jamieson’s Construction a mining permit.

“After years of nothing happening the permit was issued on March 21, 2013. Gratefully I heard from KFTC about the permit being issued because it still had not appeared on the state site,” said Joanne Golden Hill, who would have to deal with mining behind her house.

“Friends of Sloans Valley has filed for an administrative hearing. We await the answer with great anticipation, fearing the destruction of the caves and waterways of our county.”

The company still needs to get a water discharge permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that will be reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Residents hope that this will give them another avenue for protecting their water and community.