$1.6 million cleanup will alleviate health, safety and environmental hazards on 181 acres

Contact:  Mark York 502-564-3350

PANTHER, Ky. (April 17, 2008) – Gov. Steve Beshear today announced funding of a 181-acre reclamation project in Daviess County to eliminate the effects of an abandoned mine site.

Gov. Beshear announced the Kentucky Division of Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) is awarding a contract to eliminate environmental damage at the Panther Tipple site. Gov. Beshear presented a check for $1,649,937 to Rust of Kentucky for the project.  AML is financing the project through a forfeited Green Coal Co. bond, a state supplemental reclamation fund and a state acid mine drainage abatement account.

“This project will repair a site that presents a health, safety and environmental hazard to the community,” said Gov. Beshear. “The coal waste continues to be a fire hazard, and in fact caught fire in 2004, and extensive illegal dumping of garbage has taken place. Highly acidic water runoff from the site has polluted Brush Fork.” 

The project area covers approximately 181 acres - 121 acres of coal waste and 60 acres of borrow area to retrieve cover material.  Panther Tipple was operated by Green Coal Co. and has seen extensive mining and coal processing activity since the 1950s.  

Reclamation of the site will begin in early May, weather permitting.  The operation will include grading the coal waste to eliminate impounding potential, creating a lime barrier to neutralize acidity, covering the coal waste with earth cover, revegetating the site with grasses and installing limestone armored ditches to carry and treat runoff into Brush Fork.