Utah Supreme Court upholds Alton Coal permit

The Utah Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that state regulators properly reviewed and issued a permit to Alton Coal Development for its existing mine on a combination of state and private land 30 miles south of Panguitch.

The Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club launched its challenge to the permit granted by Utah oil and gas regulators, arguing that they failed to properly consider impacts to cultural resources, nearby national parks, heavy truck traffic on an historic district and water resources in the area.

In its ruling, however, the Utah Supreme Court rejected the notion that regulators failed to do their homework, citing extensive cultural resource surveys done not only in the permit area but 3,000 acres adjacent to the mine site.