In a notice published earlier this month in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, company affiliate Cumberland Contura formalized the ownership change for a previous permit by Alpha for the block in Holbrook.
In the notice, the company said the project will now be permitted as an expansion under the mining permit for its Cumberland operation. Specifically, the permit application encompasses 9,438 acres of coal in Center, Jackson and Richhill townships with the ultimate goal to longwall mine the reserves.
“These reserves were a part of the asset purchase Contura Energy completed in late July from Alpha Natural Resources and requesting a change in ownership permit is the next step in that process,” a Cumberland Contura spokesperson said. “Assuming the permitting process is completed for these reserves, any future mining activities would depend upon market conditions.”
The individual declined further comment, noting that any future mining decisions have not yet been made.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection spokesman John Poister said the permit application is now in the review stage and a final decision was likely several months away.
Contura Energy was established in order to acquire Alpha’s core assets as the company went through its Chapter 11 reorganization.
