by Michael J. Marino
U.S. Judge Donald Molloy ordered Signal Peak Energy (SPE) on Feb. 10 to cease mining activity at their Bull Mountains underground coal mine, in five sections of land leased from the federal government, until a new “Environmental Impact Statement” (EIS) is submitted – which could take up to 20 months.
The Judge ruled the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement made “sufficiently serious” errors in their original analysis of SPE’s expansion. The Enforcement Office “did not account for the emissions generated by coal combustion, obscuring and grossly understating the magnitude of the Mine Expansion’s emissions relative to other sources of greenhouse gases,” the Court’s order declared.
“Community impacts” are also noted in the order. “Signal Peak’s… mining has harmed local ranching interests by creating fissures in the ranchland,” wrote Judge Molloy, adding that SPE’s mining also “causes damage to local ranchers’ water resources, including in one instance, damaging working water wells.”
