On June 27, Department of Environmental Protection’s District Mining Operations will hold a public hearing July 17 on a draft discharge permit for Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company’s Bailey Central Mine Complex in Morris Township, Greene County.

The public hearing will be held from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Morris Township Community Center, Rt. 18 Browns Creek Road in Nineveh.

The site currently has one outfall and the company is seeking amendments to its current National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to cover discharges from two additional outfalls.

DEP has received written comments on the draft permit during a 30-day comment period that ended May 27, 2019, as well as a request for a public hearing.

Individuals will have the opportunity to present up to five minutes of oral testimony relevant to the issue. Testifiers should bring at least one copy of their testimony and exhibits for submission to DEP.

DEP will record testimony. Individuals who are unable to attend the hearing may submit three copies of a written statement and exhibits by August 1 to the Department of Environmental Protection, California District Mining Office, 25 Technology Drive, California Technology Park, Coal Center, PA 15423.

Written submittals must contain the following:

-- Name, address, and telephone number of the person submitting the comments.

-- Identification of the proposed draft NPDES Permit No. PA0236268.

-- Concise statements regarding the relevancy of the information or objections to issuance of the NPDES Permit.

Copies of the draft NPDES permit and associated documents are on file for public review, by appointment by calling 724-769-1100, at the Department of Environmental Protection, California District Mining Office, 25 Technology Drive, California Technology Park, Coal Center, PA 15423.

The draft permit and NPDES fact sheet are also available online.

Media questions should be directed to Lauren Fraley by calling 412-442-4203 or send email to: lfraley@pa.gov.

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[Posted: June 27, 2019]

7/1/2019