By Trent Moore
The Cullman Times
CULLMAN — More than 200 people packed the Cullman County Courthouse Monday night to discuss a proposal to strip-mine on Smith Lake.
National Coal of Alabama has recently applied for a mining permit from the Alabama Surface Mining Commission to mine the area. The company also applied for an Alabama Department of Environmental Management permit for proposed discharges resulting from storm water runoff from a surface coal mine to unnamed tributaries to Coon Creek, Ryan Creek and Alder Branch in 2008.
Both permits are still pending.
If approved, mining operations at the Cullman site will include strip mining. Strip mining is the practice of mining a stream of mineral by first removing a long strip of overlying soil and rock.
Eddie Hand, with Stop Smith Lake Strip Mining, said numerous attendees at the meeting filled out postcards with their thoughts on the matter, which will be sent to the Alabama Surface Mining Commission.
“We have a pretty good stack of cards from people at the meeting who were against it,” he said. “I would think it’s at least 100 different ones.”
Hand said many residents are concerned about economic, environmental and safety issues a potential mine could create.
“Cullman County is trying to promote tourism to this area and to Smith Lake,” Hand said. “It would have a dramatic effect on tourism, as well as on property values themselves.”
Smith Lake Environmental Preservation Committee Chairman Deb Berry said coal mining could also hurt the environment around the lake.
“We have a long retention time in the lake, about a 435 day average,” she said. “Things can stay in that water for over a year. So, if bad things get in there they will be there for a while.”
Even though Smith Lake is large, Berry said potential runoff could still cause problems.
“I see a danger with sediment ponds, which are not that reliable,” she said. “Just because we have a lot of water, dilution is not the solution to pollution.”
Community members at the meeting are also concerned about safety on the roadways near the lake, if traffic is increased by having coal trucks in the area. Approximately 14 primary roads could be affected by potential coal mine traffic, including County Road 222.
“This is no place for 50 coal trucks per day to be running,” Berry said. “There is already a lot of traffic on these little and windy roads.”
Mary Sullivan, who had a family member injured in a car accident on County Road 222 around Thanksgiving, said she believes coal trucks will make the area even more dangerous.
Sullivan stated the last thing County Road 222 needed were coal trucks going up and down the roads.
Representatives from National Coal of Alabama declined to comment directly on the permit request, though they did release a prepared statement.
“National is aware of the public's concern and the sensitivity surrounding mining in the Smith Lake watershed,” the letter stated. “National Coal of Alabama, Inc., originally Mann Steel Corp., has been mining coal in an environmentally sound and safe manner in Alabama since the 1980s. Property owners in the Brushy Pond area have expressed a desire to have the coal mined under the land that they own.”
Of the 52 land owners who would be affected by a mining operation, only three have signed leases to allow mining on their land, according to the most recent documents available.
Berry and Hand said they are also concerned about certain portions of National Coal of Alabama’s permit request.
“We’re taking the position this is an incomplete application and it should be denied on that fact,” Hand said. “The blasting plan is pending and from what we’ve seen they have not submitted a certificate of liability insurance, and they haven’t done a traffic study.”
In the released statement, National Coal of Alabama officials said they would work closely with local, state and federal agencies if the permit is approved.
“National has submitted a permit application and mining plan that will allow for the recovery of coal while protecting the environment,” the letter stated. “National has every intention of being a responsible and safe good neighbor to the people in the Brushy Pond community.”
Members of Stop Smith Lake Strip Mining have requested a public hearing with the Alabama Surface Mining Commission to discuss the matter further. The current public comments period ends Jan. 14, after which a hearing date could be set.
“That will be the last opportunity for the public to comment,” Hand said.
Alabama Surface Mining Commission Director Dr. Randall Johnson said his office has already received a request for a public meeting, though a potential date has not been set. In a previous interview, Johnson said it is hard to predict exactly when a decision will be made regarding the permit.
* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 225.
