Hundreds of residents urge Scofield council to push back on proposed coal mine, organize letters to regulators

Dozens of Scofield residents told the town council on March 10 they oppose a proposed coal mine near the town and urged officials to press regulators and Carbon County for changes or for the project to be stopped.

At the start of a lengthy public-comment period, Scott Holman, 320 Church Street, said many people were at the meeting to speak about the mine and encouraged residents to make their views known. "I think there's a lot of folks that are here to speak about the mine," Holman said.

Mayor (unnamed) told the meeting he had no new information beyond what had been publicly posted and described the application as the third attempt to permit the mine dating back to 2008. "I don't really know any more than what has already been published ... this is the third time," he said, adding that the town's legal authority to stop a county-owned-royalty mining project is limited.

Organizers urged residents to submit written comments to the Division of Oil, Gas and Mining (DOGM) before the public-comment deadline. Jerry Pence, who has helped organize prior opposition, brought prewritten letters and a sign-up sheet and said he would distribute templates and email addresses to residents. "We have letters to that. You as property owners can sign and mail in the DOGM," Pence told the meeting. He encouraged people to leave email addresses so organizers could distribute the template letters and submission instructions.

Speakers at the meeting raised concerns about noise, dust, traffic and long-term effects on property values and recreation-based tourism. A number of residents said they feared mining infrastructure could be sited close to town. Mary Helston, 200 North Union, said she had not seen a map showing the proposed portal location and asked, "Looking at this map, I'm not too sure where this mine portal's gonna be." Michael and long-time residents recounted earlier permitting efforts and legal fights dating to the 2000s.

Several people described past experiences mobilizing against the same project and encouraged a renewed organizing effort. Jerry Pence and others said they had prepared three form letters tailored to property owners, county residents and other stakeholders; organizers said letters could be edited before submission. One speaker advised also sending copies to the EPA, the state Division of Wildlife and local county commissioners.

Concerns about noise and air quality were repeated. Ron Richmond, a former miner, disputed some of the noise forecasts the mining proponents had provided but acknowledged that exhaust fans and backup alarms would generate sound. Another resident cited a Salt Lake Tribune article and online studies noting coal-mine ventilation and equipment can produce continuous noise in the 70–85-decibel range and said the valley's topography could trap sound.

Several speakers proposed negotiating economic benefits if the mine proceeds — for example, payments per ton — but others said the town's leverage is weak because Carbon County owns the coal royalties in the area. "Carbon County is gonna make money on the coal that's mined. Scofield Town is not," one resident said.

The council did not adopt a formal opposing resolution at the meeting but agreed to take a step toward a coordinated local response. After extended public comment, a council member made a motion for the mayor and council to draft a letter to DOGM and to "all applicable people" including Carbon County; council members seconded the motion and the council approved it by voice vote.

Organizers said they will collect signatures and emails, distribute template letters and encourage residents and property owners in nearby developments to submit comments by the DOGM deadline, which organizers said is March 24. Several speakers also said they had contacted outside experts and news organizations to amplify local concerns.

Why it matters: The discussion brought together longtime residents and part-time property owners who said the valley's recreational character and property values could be affected by new mining. The town said it has limited authority to stop permitting by county or state agencies, so residents and the council focused on submitting regulatory comments and on negotiating mitigation or compensation if the project advances.

Outlook: Residents and organizers left the meeting with a plan to collect email addresses and signatures, submit comment letters to DOGM and other agencies, and to press Carbon County for concessions if the permit moves forward. The council voted to draft a letter and asked residents to send suggested language to the town email address for compilation.