The Coal Hollow Mine, near Alton, UT, where machinery will strip away the top layers of ground to extract up to 2 million tons of coal a year for three years, has been in the works for several years. After receiving a permit from the state more than a year ago, Alton Coal Development LLC began the mining on 635 acres of private land. The Cedar City-based company hopes to mine an even larger section — about 3,500 acres — on adjoining Bureau of Land Management property. That plan is still in the permitting process.
The mine, about 10 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park in Kane County, is the only one in Utah removing coal from the surface in a process known as strip mining. Last week the coal operation received two notices of violation from inspectors with the Utah Coal Regulatory Program. Salt Lake Tribune
