DEP to get input on proposed mine expansion in Westmoreland, Fayette

State environmental regulators will receive input Wednesday from Donegal area residents who may be affected by the expansion of a coal mine along the Westmoreland-Fayette border.

The Department of Environmental Protection will hold a virtual informal conference at 6 p.m. May 25 on a request from LCT Energy LP to expand its Rustic Ridge No. 1 Mine from 2,880 acres in Donegal and Saltlick Township in Fayette County, to 1,450 acres underneath the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the Donegal area and Route 711 north of the toll road.

If the state approves the request for a five-year renewal of its mining permit, LCT Energy likely would not begin production in the expanded area until 2025, said Mark Tercek, company president.

Although LCT Energy’s five-year mining permit expired in December, the permits for mining, discharging mine water and air pollution are considered “administratively extended” until the state decides whether to renew them, said Lauren Fraley, a spokeswoman for the state DEP in Pittsburgh.

LCT Energy has a lease with the turnpike commission that sets significant standards for safety and stability, said Rosanne Placey, a turnpike commission spokeswoman. LCT Energy is limited in the amount of coal it can remove underneath the highway because of concerns about possible subsidence, Placey said.

The Mountain Watershed Association, which monitors the environmental impact of Rustic Ridge No. 1 Mine, is opposed to permit renewal and expansion, said Stacey Magda, community organizer for Mountain Watershed in Melcroft.

To register to speak at the informal conference, contact Fraley at lfraley@pa.gov or 412-442-4203. For those who wish to listen, access information is posted at dep.pa.gov/RusticRidge1Expansion.