Casselman Mine

Casselman Mine is a proposed underground coal mining operation in Casselman, Maryland, that will be owned by Maryland Energy Resources LLC, a subsidiary of the Indiana, Pennsylvia-based Joseph Peles Coal Company. The mine will comprise more than 4,600 acres and include 15 million tons of recoverable coal.

In the week of October 1, 2010, the Maryland Department of the Environment issued a surface water discharge permit that essentially cleared the last procedural hurdle preventing development of a coal mine under the Casselman River. The permit allows Maryland Energy Resources LLC to discharge an average of 500,000 gallons of mine drainage per day, along with variable volumes of stormwater, into the North Branch of the Casselman from the underground mine.

The possibility of development of a coal mine in that area has been discussed openly by public officials since at least 2008. The Casselman Basin, which runs beneath Grantsville, is estimated to contain about 116 million tons of coal, according to MDE. Maryland Energy Resources applied for the discharge permit in February 2009, but a determination was delayed partly because of concerns expressed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources over the mine’s potential impact on two state endangered species, the hellbender salamander and stonecat fish. Members of the public echoed those concerns in a May 19, 2010 public hearing. They also voiced concerns about acid mine drainage and other issues related to monitoring the mine discharge.

Mine Data

 * MSHA ID:
 * Operator:	Maryland Energy Resources LLC
 * Controller:	Joseph Peles Coal Company
 * Union:
 * County:	Casselman
 * State:	MD
 * Latitude:
 * Longitude:
 * 2007 Production (short tons):	N/A
 * Coal Type:
 * Mining Method:	Underground
 * Mine Status:	Proposed
 * Average No. of Employees:

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