The planning commission for South Buffalo Township, where the construction was to take place, unanimously voted against the project, according to local news outlets.
Rosebud engineering manager Dennis Grelle had made the presentation of plans to the group, which included a 450-foot deep vertical shaft which would be used as both a ventilation shaft and elevator access and link up its Clementine operation. He also added that the mine required another intake shaft because the existing one is no longer sufficient for fresh airflow.
The company also outlined eventual plans to extend the mine and said it had submitted a permit request with the state Department of Environmental Protection for mining of another 3100 acres. Additionally, it anticipated needing another airshaft for exhaust as they mine north.
Rosebud’s request also included plans for a two-storey building to encompass a shower area and office space, local paper the Times-Leader reported. While no plans to extract coal from the shaft existed, it had applied for a permit allowing it because the shaft’s use would relate to the operation’s main business.
In the meantime, the commission’s concerns with the plans were varied, including the thought that the operator may someday relocate its operations to a residential area, that Rosebud’s presentation as a whole was not detailed enough and that the company’s responses to questions were insufficient.
South Buffalo Township supervisor chairman Ron Covone told the media Rosebud may appeal, but the producer did not confirm its decision. The 60-worker operation is located about an hour north of Pittsburgh.