HARRISBURG – State Rep. Camille “Bud” George, D-74 of Houtzdale, said the public is invited to a hearing to be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 11 at the BJW Fire Hall in Bigler to discuss a permit transfer for the Bigler Coal Preparation Plant in Bradford Township.
The Rosebud Mining Co. is seeking the permit transfer from Energy Resources Inc. According to Rosebud’s Web site, it purchased the 84-acre Bigler operation in June 2008 and hopes to resume operations, cleaning as much as 300 tons of coal an hour, this month.
Rosebud Mining bills itself as the third-largest underground coal producer in Pennsylvania, operating 12 deep mines and four preparation plants in western Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The state Department of Environmental Protection will discuss the pending transfer in an open house format, discussing coal preparation in general and answering specific questions about Rosebud’s application.
In other news, George said the DEP has notified him that it has approved a $3,731 grant for the Clearfield County Solid Waste Authority to sponsor a household hazardous waste collection on Sept. 13 at the authority’s Permanent Recycling Center.
The Small Business and Household Pollution Prevention Grant will pay for half the costs of the collection.