Hobet 45 Mine

Hobet Mine is a mountaintop removal coal mining operation in Lincoln County, West Virginia, operated by Hobet Mining and owned by Patriot Coal. The Hobet Mine is a part of the Corridor G mining complex.

A government study done in 2003 found repeated violations of water-quality limits on selenium by operators of mountaintop removal mine sites, and biologists have stated that the selenium pollution from Hobet Mining’s operations have left the Mud River ecosystem on "the brink of a major toxic event."

In 2009, the EPA intervened in the approval of a permit to further expand the Hobet mine into the Berry Branch area, and worked with mine operators to minimize the disturbance and to reduce the number and size of valley fills. In 2010, the EPA reported that Hobet 45 mine met the requirements of the Clean Water Act.

Mine Data

 * MSHA ID:
 * Operator:	Hobet Mining LLC
 * Controller:	Patriot Coal Corporation
 * Union:	UMWA
 * County:	Lincoln
 * State:	WV
 * Latitude:
 * Longitude:
 * 2007 Production (short tons):
 * Coal Type:	Bituminous
 * Mining Method:	Surface
 * Mine Status:	Active
 * Average No. of Employees:

Citizen action
On July 28, 2012, members of Radical Action for Mountain Peoples’ Survival (RAMPS) shut down operations at the mine through a series of coordinated lock downs, tree-sits, and banner drops. The protest was in opposition to the widely denounced permit the mine had received over two years ago, as well as the harmful effects of mountaintop removal mining in general. About 20 protesters were arrested for trespassing. Protestor Dustin Steele later told the Associated Press he was dragged across asphalt, then punched and kicked by several state troopers at the Madison detachment after he and 19 others were arrested; several groups issued a statement asking the U.S. Attorney's Office to investigate.

Related SourceWatch articles
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