State mining regulators this week shut down a southern Utah coal operation after it blew multiple deadlines to replace its invalid reclamation bond, issued by a company that is now under investigation for insurance fraud.
The owners of Coal Hollow Mine must provide the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining (DOGM) with a $13.4 million surety by March 10, or begin reclaiming the mine’s permit area, according to the cessation order.
On Tuesday, two DOGM staffers delivered the cessation order to Alton Coal Development’s on-site manager Kirk Nicholes and conducted an inspection to ensure active coal extraction was terminated at the 1,017-acre site...