Published: October 29, 2005 11:25 pm      

Coal plant approval is sought

Portage — A coal-cleaning plant soon could be replaced with a modern, efficient facility under a proposal from Amfire Mining Co. to dig metallurgical coal from a proposed mine in Cresson Township.

The Latrobe-based mining company is seeking approval from state Department of Environmental Protection to modify its operating permit for the Sonman Preparation Facility.

“Amfire Mining Company has filed an application for a revision of its permit at the Portage plant. If approved, that revision would permit the company to construct a new, more efficient coal-cleaning plant near the existing plant,” said Rick Weinzierl, an Amfire spokesman.

Amfire intends to name the facility the Portage Plant.

As for details about the proposed coal-cleaning operation, Weinzierl said it is premature to respond to specific questions because the permit modification is pending.

DEP met with Amfire officials and the company is making what was described as “major revisions,” DEP spokesman Betsy Mallison said Friday.

State approval could come by spring, she said.

The size of the cleaning plant and a timetable depend in part on the outcome of negotiations to sell coal the company will remove from the Cresson mine, Amfire officials said in a statement.

Earlier this year, it appeared that the high-quality Amfire coal would play a major role in a coke plant proposed by SunCoke Co., in Cambria Township.

In recent months, the proposal has come under fire from environmentalists concerned about emissions. Penn Futures, based in Harrisburg, is challenging a DEP air-quality permit issued to the coke plant.

Officials at SunCoke, a division of Sunoco Inc., say their project is still on the table, while Amfire officials appear confident that they will find markets for their coal regardless of the outcome of the SunCoke proposal.

“At this point, Amfire is optimistic that there will be sufficient demand that construction of the new plant will start as soon as the permitting process is completed,” Weinzierl said.

Local officials said it is reasonable to assume that the amount of coal now being cleaned will increase sharply once the Cresson Township mine is in operation.

And while there will be a greater volume, the coal going through the process should produce a cleaner product and result in higher-quality water flowing into Spring Run and eventually the Little Conemaugh River.

Dennis Beck, a member of Portage Area Water Authority who is active in efforts to improve water quality in the Portage area, is optimistic about Amfire taking over what was once the Cooney Bros. Coal Cleaning plant.

“I think it’s possible that things could be better. The water in Spring Run is bad. It’s really, really bad,” Beck said, pointing to testing he does on the stream below the cleaning plant.

In its application, Amfire promises the state that water quality will improve as a result of the new facility.

“Water will be more alkaline and of better quality than the existing water in the mine pool,” the application states.

Soda ash or caustic soda treatment will be used to help neutralize the water.

A plant and operation based on modern standards rather then those of 30 years ago will be an improvement, said Ron Repak, executive director of Johnstown Redevelopment Authority, which played a major role in getting SunCoke and Amfire to consider operations in Cambria County.

“If no one does anything, what is the greater risk? To allow the existing coal-cleaning plant to remain in operation or the siting of a modern facility under existing regulations?” Repak asked.

The more-efficient aspect of the plant pleases township Supervisor Richard Olshavsky, who is glad for any possible new jobs for the community but worries about the impact of increased truck traffic.

“We can’t speculate about what Amfire will do, but if this new cleaning plant is more efficient and it’s done meeting our standards, then we’ll see what happens,” Olshavsky said.

As part of the Kiski-Conemaugh Stream Team, Beck takes samples from Spring Run twice yearly. The results show a high acid level of 2.8, about as bad as it can get. A neutral level is a pH of 6.5 to 7.

“Probably anything they do will make it better,” he said.

The 6-inch-thick application Amfire submitted to DEP seeks approval for a wet-processing plant with an estimated life of 25 years. Also part of the plan is construction of a “thickener tank” to be used as part of the processing.

Amfire is asking to increase the size of the current 30-acre permitted site by an additional 7.6 acres and remove an existing 0.6 acres for a total of 37 acres.

As a member of the water authority, Beck said he is aware of Amfire’s effort to become more efficient with an emphasis on using recycled water in the cleaning process. Much of the water now comes from a lagoon. A similar practice is expected for the proposed plant.

Two additional freshwater ponds would be constructed along with extensions to the existing refuse conveyor.

Treated water will flow through the ponds, each with a capacity of 871,000 gallons. Treatment to neutralize the water will take place at the ponds, the application states.