Wishbone Hill

The DNR link to permiting information on Wishbone Hill:
http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/mining/coal/wishbone

Wishbone Hill on Google Earth

Usibelli Coal Mine Company currently operates in Healy where the nearest home is 5 miles away from the mine permit area. Now, they want to strip coal from the Wishbone Hill area where they purchased coal leases in 1997. The nearest private property is adjacent to the mine permit area. There are hundreds of families within the area. The Matanuska Susitna Borough assessed property value is over $86 million.

Children in Seward near the coal terminal are on puffers and inhalers due to gross negligance by Usibelli Coal Mine who owns and operates Aurora Energy. Lawsuits on behalf of those children inhaling coal dust have been wagged and lost. It is estimated that over 20% of the students in the schools are on inhalers.

Is this what we want in our community? Is this the economic future that we want to see?

Already, families trying to purchase homes in the matanuska Valley have been denied home loans by a local Credit union - because a coal strip mine may go in.

What happens when a coal strip mine enters your communnity? The property values go down. In West Virginia, near a coal washing facility, the property values for a home went from $184,000 to $12,000 because of the coal dust - even after the facility was covered by a giant balloon building.

Local homeowner submited an Unsuitable Lands Petition, May 2010.

Usibelli Coal Mine Company spokesperson has attempted to call up ethics violations on people speaking against the impacts of coal mining in their neighborhoods. They have sent several letters trying to get people fired or to not exercise their first amendment rights! Is this the sort of neighborly coal mine company you want in your valley?

Curious about other impacts? Watch Coal Country.