What is Longwall Mining?

Longwall mining is a deep mining technique capable of fully extracting huge panels of coal, frequently up to 1,500 feet wide and two miles long.  When this coal (often 400-800 feet below the earth’s surface) is extracted, it leaves no support behind and almost always causes subsidence to both the natural and man-made structures.

Coal companies that practice longwall mining are allowed, by law, to cause damage to structures, including homes.  They are also allowed to disrupt water supplies.  Coal companies are required to fund repairs to homes and to replace water supplies, but frequently residents find themselves embroiled in lengthy battles with these companies to have their living conditions restored. 

Some Effects of Longwall Mining:

• PONDING: as a result of subsidence, wetlands are frequently created in areas that were previously dry.
• The release of METHANE gas into the atmosphere, water and homes.  At least one home explosion has been documented as a result.
• Subsidence of RAILROAD TRACKS and ROADS AND HIGHWAYS: beginning in 2006, I-79 is slated to be undermined fourteen times, and traffic has been restricted on I-70 and PA turnpike 43 due to subsidence. 
• GROUND CRACKS AND LANDSLIDES; frequently these render the land unusable.
• DAMAGE TO HOMES, including cracking, buckling, and leaning
• Disturbance to the WATER TABLE responsible for loss of water to homes and businesses and for the drying up of numerous wells, springs, and streams.
• Creation of SLURRY IMPOUNDMENTS, catch ponds for the water used to wash coal.  There frequently contain arsenic, mercury, and other toxic elements.
• DEPOPULATION of rural areas in the coalfields where longwall mining has occurred.

Some of the most recent visible effects that longwall mining has on our communities and our resources is the situation at Ryerson Station State Park in Greene County, PA. Consol mined near the dam on Duke Lake within the park and, according to DCNR, damaged the structure which forced the lake to be drained due to safety concerns. The following articles and resources have more information on the situation.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Pennsylvania Says Mining Destroyed Lake Dam in Park
Uniontown Herald Standard: PA Sues Consol
Washington Observer-Reporter: State Sues Consol for $58 Million

Please also read the formal complaint filed by DCNR against Consol.

The Center continues to file right-to-know requests asking DCNR to release results of a study that concluded Consol was responsible for the damage to the dam. We have also held two 'Dryerson' Festivals in the park to draw attention to the damage to the lake in Ryerson Station State Park, Greene County's only state park.