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Ohio Coal Producer Wants To Mine Under State Park
By: Associated Press
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An Ohio coal producer wants the state to allow the company to mine under a portion of Barkcamp State Park in eastern Ohio.
The Columbus Dispatch reported Sunday that Ohio Valley Coal Co. has asked the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to expand its underground Powhatan mine beneath 16 acres of the 1,005-acre park in Belmont County.
Ohio Valley Coal is owned by Murray Energy Corp. of St. Clairsville, Ohio. The company wants to use an additional 314 acres outside the park for room-and-pillar mining, the newspaper reported.
An official with the Buckeye Forest Council says the state needs to consider whether the mine will cause land to sink at the surface. A company spokesman says mining wouldn't affect the surface.