Published: October 23, 2009 04:23 pm      

Mountaintop mining: Southern Gap Park positive example

A reclaimed mountaintop mining removal project is creating urgently needed new jobs in far Southwest Virginia.

The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority approved a $5.6 million grant last week for further development of the Southern Gap Regional Business Park in Buchanan County.

The funding will be used to pay toward the costs of road construction, sidewalks and utility installations and extensions at the 3,000-acre project that is being constructed on reclaimed surface mine land.

The Southern Gap project is an example of how reclaimed mountaintop removal mining projects can have a positive impact, according to VCEDA Executive Director Jonathan Belcher.

The park already has its first business occupant, which has 250 employees and growing. Jobs are being created in an area where those jobs might not otherwise exist were it not for the flat land that was created by the mining process, Belcher said last week.

The VCEDA board also passed a resolution last week in support of the coal industry and the Nationwide Permit 21 process in the Appalachian region. The resolution recognizes the coal industry’s contribution to the regional economy and warns that the elimination of the Nationwide Permit 21 process would have disastrous and far reaching consequences on the coal industry and Virginia’s coalfield region.

U.S. Sen. Phillip Puckett, D-Russell, joined VCEDA last week in warning that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ proposal to eliminate the use of the NP 21 permitting process would have a significantly negative impact on the Appalachian region, and the coal industry in Southwest Virginia in particular.

Those in Washington who are holding up 79 mining permits in four states including Environmental Protection Agency Director Lisa Jackson, should schedule a trip to Grundy. A first-hand view of the progress being made at the Southern Gap Regional Business Park could be an eye-opening experience for those who are trying so hard to vilify coal.

Desperately needed new jobs are being created at a reclaimed surface mine site.

The project is a perfect example of how a reclaimed mountaintop mining project can have a positive impact. The Southern Gap Park is a win-win for everyone.