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 he Obama Administration is seeking a massive expansion of coal mining in the heart of NRDC's Redrock Wilderness BioGem -- a mere 10 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park, one of the country's natural treasures. Under the administration's plan, which has already been approved by the state of Utah, the Alton Coal Mine would swell to almost 10 times its current size and extract up to 50 million tons of dirty coal.
"Tens of thousands of Americans visit Bryce Canyon each year to experience the pristine beauty of its redrock spires and incredible vistas," says Sharon Buccino, director of NRDC's Land and Wildlife Program. "It's shocking that the Obama Administration would even consider development of this site, much less transforming it into an enormously polluting industrial operation."
The expanded mine would not only cover more than 3,500 acres but would require the removal of hundreds of tons of soil and rock. Every nine minutes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a heavy-duty diesel truck would leave the mine to haul coal down a narrow, two-lane scenic highway; that comes to more than 300 noisy, polluting trucks a day. We've already taken our fight against the state's permit for the mine to the Utah Supreme Court, and we are mounting an intense campaign against the Obama Administration's proposal as well, countering mining industry propaganda with documented evidence of the devastating impacts of large-scale industrial coal mining. "If the administration chooses to side with Big Coal, then we're prepared to take our case to federal court," says Buccino. "We designated Bryce Canyon a national park almost 100 years ago; our government should be working to ensure that legacy, not despoil it."
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“It's shocking that the Obama Administration would even consider development of this site, much less transforming it into an enormously polluting industrial operation.”
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