News

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February 8, 2012

Partners Comments on Expansion of Alton Coal Mine

Partners President, Noel Poe, submitted comments to the BLM Kanab Field Office (KFO) about the proposed leasing of 2,280 acres of public lands and 1,296 acres of split estate lands (private surface estate and federal mineral estate) to Alton Coal Development for the purpose of extracting coal via surface-mining. The proposed expansion of the Alton coal lease onto lands administered by the KFO falls under the interest that Grand Staircase Escalante Partners has on BLM lands adjacent to the Monument.

Partners is concerned that the expansion of the Alton coal lease, as proposed, will cause unacceptable harm to economic, mineral and non-mineral natural resources, and to the irreplaceable cultural and paleontological resources of the region. Click  Alton Coal Lease Draft EIS comments to read Mr. Poe’s thorough, well-researched assessment of the proposal.