NewsNorth American Gem receives final permit approvals
2009-10-23 09:29 ET - News Release
Mr. Charles Desjardins reports
NORTH AMERICAN GEM INC. HAS RECEIVED FINAL STATE PERMIT APPROVALS ON NORTH AMERICAN GEM MINE #1 IN WHITLEY COUNTY, KENTUCKY
The final bonds have been posted with the State ofKentucky by North American Gem Inc. (NAG) on Thursday, Oct. 22. As a result of thisachievement, the completion of the permit transfer for the permitNo. 918-0396 to NAG, North American Gem has the right to begin mining at theNorth American Gem mine No. 1 immediately. Engle Hollow Mining, the contractoperator, has spent the past several weeks preparing and will beginmobilizing and working immediately now that the bonds have been posted.
The method of mining to be used by NAG in the North American Gem mine No. 1 isknown as contour mining. This type of mining is done on properties thatwere previously mined prior to the enactment of the Surface Mine Controland Reclamation Act of 1977. This law requires that after any surfacemining, the land must be restored to approximate original contour unlessotherwise specified in the permit application and approved by the KentuckyDepartment of Natural Resources (KDNR). When prelaw mining was done, thegeneral practice was to mine along the contour of a slope to the maximumprofitable ratio and leave the resulting highwall and a wide, flat benchwhere the material covering the coal was removed and then graded somewhatflat as opposed to restoring the original slope.