More than 100 Athens County residents gathered at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources District Four headquarters last night for an informal conference regarding Oxford Mining Co.’s permit to strip mine land in Joy Hollow.
The hearing allowed residents to voice their concerns about the 347 acres of land to be strip-mined, the first instance of strip mining in Athens since 1978. Joy Hollow falls in Bern Township, less than 20 miles northeast of Athens.
Brent Edwin, ODNR permitting manager, said the public’s comments would contribute to the final decision on whether or not strip-mining will occur.
“It’s all part of the process,” he said.
The majority of attendees stood firmly against the permit, with members of Save Our Rural Environment leading the attack.
John Brennen, founding member of SORE, said the permit failed to acknowledge key components of the Surface Mining Reclamation Act of 1970, specifically environmental implications for residents neighboring the mining sites.
“This mine will have an impact on the environment, its rural residents, and the tranquility of the area,” Brennen said.
Amesville farmer Ronda Clark, whose home nears the proposed mining site, echoed those worries along with concerns about contamination of water and its effect on her family and business.
“Can (the ODNR) guarantee the safety of my family and business?” Clark said.
Others criticized the permit more directly. Former Athens County Commissioner Roxanne Groff said that, after reviewing the permit “line by line,” she came to the conclusion that it was “shamefully incomplete.”
Along with the permit’s holes, SORE presented other findings concerning the classification of the permit.
Sandra Sleight-Brennan, spokesperson for SORE, said the ODNR considers the Joy Hollow permit a Nationwide 49 Permit, which is a permit for the re-mining of old sites to improve the water quality.
“This assumes that there is an acid mine drainage from the site,” Sleight-Brennan said. “This is not the case for Joy Hollow.”
Though the majority of the comments presented were negative, David Russell, an Athens County resident who leased his property to Oxford Mining, said he would forgive those who protest the permit for their narrow-mindedness.
“We need to get past our Chicken Little fears,” Russell said.
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