Residents press council on mine permitting; town staff outline permit contacts and timeline

At the April 14 meeting of the Scofield Town Council residents urged the town to prepare for potential infrastructure and regulatory impacts from a proposed mine, and town staff outlined which outside agencies would handle permits and what the town could do now to follow the process.

Stephen Biggs, a Scofield resident identified in the meeting materials as living at 210 Short Street, asked the town to consider hiring a consultant to estimate likely infrastructure costs if the mine proceeds. “He’d like to see the town look into hiring a consultant to see what our cost would be infrastructure wise for if the mine does actually come to town,” a meeting speaker relayed as Biggs’s comment.

Several other residents raised related concerns. Art Elston, 435 North Braden Street, advised the council to negotiate hauling and sewer charges with any mine operator and urged the town not to provide water without clear agreements: “If you give them any water, I think you don't have some lawsuits,” he said. Star Helston Dowding thanked residents for recent organizing and urged continued opposition, saying, “we don't roll over and we don't die. We fight till the end.”

Town staff and council provided procedural guidance rather than taking regulatory action at the meeting. A staff member who had met with a permitting contact said Coal Energy Group’s permitting work began in December and that agency reviewers indicated the permit review is extensive and could take a year or more; she said she did not expect any final decisions before late summer or early fall. She said the permit under review is an umbrella package that will include multiple permits the company must supply for agencies to review.

Staff advised residents to contact specific agencies to track applications and submit comments: Carbon County (for a conditional use permit), the Utah Department of Transportation (for a highway access permit) and the Division of Water Quality (for a UPDES permit). Council members and staff also said they would invite agency contacts and company representatives to meet with the town if helpful.

Other town updates discussed at the meeting included: - Bids and capital repairs: The council said it is seeking bids to install an Americans with Disabilities Act ramp at town hall and for concrete repair on the top of the town jail structure. - Maps and data: Town staff requested and expected digital copies of a large map shown at a public meeting; staff said some map areas need clarification about what is town property versus county land. - Hiring: The town advertised for a part-time liquid waste hauler; applicants must have a commercial driver’s license with tanker endorsement, and the position will haul sewer from local operations referenced in the meeting. - Events and facilities: Councilmember discussion noted $49,000 in the Pleasant Valley Days fund and a council interest in using some of that money for park improvements, including access to a hillside south of the park for vendors.

What the council did: No formal council action on mine permitting took place at the April 14 meeting; staff guidance emphasized tracking outside-agency permits and submitting comments to the identified agencies. The public comment and staff briefing were recorded and the council directed staff to continue communication with agency contacts and to follow up on the items discussed.

Key procedural details and timeline from staff remarks: staff said Coal Energy Group’s permit process restarted in December; agency reviewers indicated it could take about a year and that, because of time extensions and additional information requests, a final agency decision was unlikely before late summer or early fall. Staff additionally advised residents to monitor Carbon County, UDOT and the Division of Water Quality for application postings and to submit comments to those agencies.