Ohio coal inspections cut back

By Spencer Hunt
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Short-staffed and facing a money shortage, state inspectors are falling behind in making sure Ohio coal companies clean up after themselves.
Environmental advocacy groups worry that fewer inspections could mean more pollution problems.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources typically relies on a team of 18 to inspect monthly the 86 working coal mines scattered across eastern and southeastern Ohio. Most of the work involves strip mines, where inspectors look for problems that could pollute streams.

They also monitor work at 125 nearby reclamation sites, where coal companies must replace tons of topsoil and rock that had been removed over the years to get to the coal.

Four inspectors left the department in April and have not been replaced. State officials say the smaller staff still visits the working mines monthly but now visits reclamation sites about every three months.

"We've had to re-prioritize our inspectors' time to focus on our actively producing mines," said John Husted, the state's mining chief. "It's not as much of a priority for our staff to be out" inspecting reclamation work.

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