By Associated Press
Cullman AL – State environmental officials received hundreds of letters opposing a permit for coal strip-mining near Smith Lake. The public comment period for the Cullman County project ended Sept. 15.
Spokesman Scott Hughes at the Alabama Department of Environmental Management says no decision on the permit sought by Birmingham-based National Coal of Alabama has been reached.
The coal firm seeks an ADEM permit for proposed discharges resulting from storm water runoff from a mine in the Brushy Pond community.
One opponent, Eddie Hand, a member of the Smith Lake Environmental Preservation Committee, says his group had 880 signatures on petitions sent to ADEM. He says others wrote separate letters in opposition.
A spokesman for the coal company was not immediately available for comment.
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Information from: The Cullman Times, http://www.cullmantimes.com