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This article originally provided by The Charleston Gazette

Group to study post-mining land use

By Ken Ward Jr.
Staff writer

Gov. Joe Manchin wants a team of state officials and economic developers to study ways West Virginia can better use former mountaintop removal mine sites.

Manchin issued an executive order Wednesday to form a post-mine land use redevelopment group. The move follows up on comments the governor made two weeks ago in his State of the State address.

"The governor wants to do what we can to really get these lands developed," said Carte Goodwin, the governor's general counsel.

The 10-member panel will be headed by Commerce Secretary Kelly Goes and will include Environmental Protection Secretary Stephanie Timmermeyer, Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox and Joe Hatfield, executive director of the West Virginia Housing Development Fund.

The group will also include one member each representing the coal industry, state landowners, housing developers, economic development groups, and coal miners. The group must also include one person with experience in environmental advocacy.

Manchin also may appoint additional members at his discretion, according to the executive order.

Preliminary recommendations are due to the governor by July 1, 2008, with a complete report by July 1, 2009.

Current law already requires coal companies to submit post-mining development plans in order to obtain strip mining permits unless they plan to return mined land to its approximate original contour, or AOC.

But for years the AOC rule was generally ignored, in large part because it was never clearly defined by the state or the federal Office of Surface Mining.

As a result, mining operators leveled thousands of acres of Southern West Virginia, for the most part without submitting development plans or following through with post-mining construction of factories, schools, strip malls, public parks or other community projects.

Ten years ago, a series of Gazette articles revealed dozens of illegal permits with post-mining land uses such as "fish and wildlife habitat" and "grasslands."

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