Program meeting topic: Long Wall Mining in Illinois

Speaker:   Mike Maccanelli, Illinois COLM

When: Monday, October 13, 2008 at 7:30 pm.

Where: First Unitarian Church, Third and Alby Street, Alton, Illinois

Details:

The Piasa Palisades Sierra Club's October 13,2008 monthly presentation will feature the issue of longwall mining. Mike Maccanelli from Illinois Citizens Opposed to Longwall Mining (ICOLM) will do a power point presentation. The meeting takes place at the First Unitarian Church located at 3rdand Alby Streets in Alton, Illinois and starts at 7:30pm. Citizens Against Longwall Mining (CALM) will be represented at the meeting by Arlis Bates and others. The Montgomery County based organization has been leading the battle against longwall mining in the Piasa Palisades Sierra Club's membership area. Longwall mining extracts 900/0 of the coal leaving no pillars to support the surface. The result is planned subsidence. Rolling and hilly countryside is better suited to a 5-6 foot subsidence drop where drainage is easily achieved but on flat ground (0-40/0 slopes) the water collects in shallow wetlands resulting in what is referred to as the "bathtub effect". This condition is too wet to grow crops in the spring and too dry during periods of droughts. The technology to reclaim or mitigate subsidence on 0 to 40/0flat farmland from longwall mining has not been developed to the satisfaction of the surface landowners. (Landowners, at the time mineral rights were sold, in the early 1900's, believed that the room and pillar mining method would be used.) Nor has the SURFACE Mining Control and Rec1amationAct (SMCRA) been amended to protect the surface landowners from destruction of natural water resources, crops, homes, barns, historic farms and cemeteries. Also municipal water lines, anhydrous lines, gas lines, cable, and electrical systems and septic systems are at risk. The cost to repairor replacethis infrastructure is far greater than the bonding required by the Illinois state formulas. This situation then becomes economically unfeasible. Pleasejoin us for this important presentation.

Executive Committee Meeting

When: Monday, October 20, 2008

Time: 7:00pm

Where: Sierra Club office; 223 Market Street; Alton, IL. 62002

All members are welcome to attend. You must call Chairman Wayne Politsch (618-466-6150) one week in advance to put an item on the agenda.