The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) is taking comment until July 7 on its tentative determination to issue an NPDES permit to discharge into waters of the state out of Taylorville Mining LLC‘s planned Taylorville Mine, located 1.5 miles northeast of Taylorville in Christian County.
Authorization would be granted to the company to construct the surface area for an underground mine and mine refuse area. This permitting covers two parcels of permitted area totaling 677.7 acres for the surface facilities. The two parcels comprising the total permitted area consists of a 237.3-acre parcel (state Office of Mines and Minerals Permit No. 358 area) identified as the South Portal, and 440.4 acres (OMM Permit No. 402) identified as the North Portal.
- South Portal – Facilities to be located at the South Portal include a mine portal, screen and breaker building, coal stockpiles, coal refuse and coal combustion waste disposal areas, railroad loop, office building with associated parking, soil stockpiles, diversions, drainage control structures (ditches) and sedimentation ponds.
- North Portal – Facilities to be located at the North Portal include a mine portal, air supply and production shafts, coal processing and storage areas, conveyor system, truck and railroad shipping facilities, office, bathhouse, sanitary wastewater treatment system, warehouse and associated buildings, rocked materials storage and parking areas, access and haulage roads, coal refuse disposal area, miscellaneous support areas, drainage control structures (ditches) and sedimentation ponds.
U.S. Office of Surface Mining records show that Taylorville Mining is controlled by Rhino Resource Partners LP. There had been a deep mine at this location that Rhino a few years ago wanted to develop in conjunction with a nearby power plant, but the power plant project went bust. Said the Rhino website: “Our Taylorville property is located in central Illinois and contains approximately 111.1 million tons of proven and probable steam coal reserves. The property is undeveloped, but fully permitted and has potential access to the Norfolk Southern railroad.”
