These companies are just concerned about getting the coal and aren't really concerned about the community and the people who live here. Residents are really concerned because we don't want our community destroyed. A lot of people want to come home, and if they destroy our mountains, there won't be anything to come home to.

— Rutland Melton

Residents of Lynch in Harlan County are asking KFTC members to help in protecting their town’s drinking water supply and other community resources from the impacts of mining.

Harlan Development Corporation (previously A&G Corporation) wants to strip and auger mine 1,100 acres above Lynch. The mine would drain into Looney Creek, which feeds the reservoir servicing Lynch and the downstream town of Benham. The company also wants to place 18 new sediment ponds above the community, set off blasts near homes and historic buildings, and possibly encroach on the upper elevations of Black Mountain that KFTC and many others worked to protect a few years ago.

Other reasons to be concerned: A&G’s Ison Rock Ridge operation in Wise County, VA has been suspended because of its history of violations, and the owner of Harlan Development Corporation owed over $1.5 million in mine safety violations.

How to take action:

Attend the hearing

Lynch residents have requested and received a permit conference with the Kentucky Division of Mine Permits. This will take place on Thursday, June 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Southeast Community College’s Appalachian Center Theatre in Cumberland. If you can attend the hearing it would be a great way to show support for the community.

Submit comments

We are asking that KFTC members and allies send an email to the Division of Mine Permits asking officials to listen to and respect the concerns of Lynch residents and to give priority to protecting water supplies and community resources. Please do this by Thursday at 4 p.m.

If you wish to submit comments via mail, please send them to:
Director, Division of Mine Permits
#2 Hudson Hollow US 127
South Frankfort, KY 40601

For more information, contact Anne Carr at 606-848-2949. Folks going to the permit hearing will be gathering at 5:30 p.m. to go over the permit.

The biggest thing is our water resource and the purification. Our water is really good now. There is not enough of coal to be mined through mountaintop removal to justify destroying the water system. This is the best place in the world to live. You're not just taking out the coal; you're destroying generations of people who could live here and raise their families here.

— Bennie Massey