Judge Allows Coal Mining Near Local Park

A federal district judge has sided with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in a lawsuit over mine tunnels being developed within the watershed of Burr Oak State Park in southeast Columbus. A lawsuit by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers alleged Ohio's 2010 decision to issue a permit to Buckingham Coal Company violated a 1948 agreement that created the park and reservoir. The state argued the agreement did not prevent the leasing of coal rights. The judge says the Corps failed to present evidence of its claims. Buckingham's project would link an existing mine two miles from the park with new coal reserves.