New Shaft For Indiana Coal Mine Approved Despite Opposition

VINCENNES, Ind. (AP) — A coal company has won approval for a new mine shaft in southwestern Indiana despite opposition from nearby residents worried about road safety and increased noise and light.

The Knox County Planning Commission voted this week to give Sunrise Coal permission for the $5 million project on rural land it owns near the town of Bruceville. The company says it will cut by more than a half hour from the underground travel time that miners now face from a current shaft, which will improve efficiency and safety.

The Vincennes Sun-Commercial reports some residents are worried that the area's narrow roads are inadequate to handle additional mining traffic.

Commission members said they sympathized with the residents, but that the company is meeting all legal requirements for the project.