Forward Township: Coal mine has been discussed in conservation area

By CHRISTINE HAINES

chaines@yourmvi.com

A proposal for a coal mine on land zoned for conservation in Forward Township has been discussed by public officials for the past two years, but mostly behind closed doors.

The plans were thrust into the public eye recently when Supervisor Tom DeRosa sent out a campaign letter in his bid for re-election. He recounted events that have reportedly occurred over the past two years.

“They sent eight men to our township for a meeting on the coal mine,” DeRosa wrote in the letter mailed to township residents. “I got the weird impression they expected me to voice approval. After several meetings, we rejected the idea of a coal mine.

“We realized that all your properties would need mine subsidence insurance. Not to mention the ungodly site of a slate dump, coal tipple across Bunola River Road, air shaft fans and total destruction of 950 wooded acres.”

DeRosa said at the final meeting with the company one of the men asked him when his term as supervisor ended. A year later, DeRosa claimed he was approached by a man he described as a casual high school friend at his 60th high school reunion who asked him what he thought of the Coronado Coal mine.

The man also reportedly stated that DeRosa’s term as supervisor was up in a year and that they had the second vote needed for the mine. In his campaign letter, DeRosa characterized the events as something that “could be a James Patterson novel.”

In a recent interview with the Mon Valley Independent, DeRosa said he didn’t view the conversation as a threat or election tampering.

“It wasn’t a threat; it was a class reunion. It was a friend of mine. He said he could get me beat in the election,” DeRosa said.

DeRosa is running unopposed on the Democratic ticket in the May 18 primary election, with Republican Jayme Stoffer running unopposed for the Republican nomination.

“I know little to nothing about the coal mine,” Stoffer said. “I was really disappointed in that letter because it made it look like I was a second vote and I knew nothing about it. He did me a favor, because now the information is out there.”

Stoffer said she has since reached out to Coronado to get more details about its plans, but has received little information.

“I’m a beekeeper. Anything environmental in Forward Township is very important to me and anything that affects people’s health is very important to me,” Stoffer said.

To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Saturday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.