Toolkit for Communities Facing Coal Mining

A Practical Guide for Protecting Your Water, Land, and Health

This toolkit is designed to support residents, community groups, and local leaders who are dealing with proposed new mines or mine expansions. It includes clear steps, templates, checklists, and strategies you can use immediately—whether you’re just learning about a project or already engaged in a permitting process.

1. Understand the Project Early

Get the Basic Facts

As soon as you hear about a potential expansion, gather:

  • Company name
  • Permit number(s)
  • Type of mining (surface, longwall, contour, auger, etc.)
  • Location and affected streams
  • Size of proposed expansion
  • Status of permit application (new, revision, renewal)
  • Public notice dates

Where to find this:
State regulatory websites, public notices, local newspapers, or FOIA/state RTKL requests.

Create a Community Map

Identify:

  • Homes within 1–5 miles
  • Streams and watersheds
  • Wells and springs
  • Schools, churches, and vulnerable populations
  • Existing mines or abandoned mines nearby

This becomes the foundation of all organizing, outreach, and comments.

2. Start Community Documentation Immediately

Field Documentation Checklist (Baseline)

Coal Impacts: Field Documentation and Log (During and After Mining Activity)

Use these before, during, and after mining activity:

  • Photos of streams from multiple angles
  • Notes on clarity, odor, or discoloration
  • Blasting vibrations, dust, noise
  • Flooding or erosion areas
  • Subsidence cracks in homes
  • Changes in well water
  • Wildlife impacts
  • Company or contractor activity

Tip: Always include date, time, location, and weather.

Water Monitoring Basics

You don’t need to be a scientist. Track:

  • pH
  • Conductivity
  • Temperature
  • Total dissolved solids
  • Iron and manganese (if possible)

Use simple meters or community monitoring kits.

Create a Community Log

Have residents keep a running log of changes or problems. This becomes invaluable for public comments and legal challenges.

3. Build a Local Organizing Network

Start with a Core Group

Invite 3–10 people you trust who are directly affected.
Your first goals:

  • Share information
  • Divide tasks
  • Identify priorities

Expand Outward

Build a contact list of:

  • Neighbors
  • Local officials
  • Community leaders
  • Faith groups
  • Schools
  • Local businesses

Choose a Group Identity

Some options:

  • Community Alliance
  • River or Watershed Coalition
  • Neighborhood Action Team
  • Land & Water Protection Group

A name helps people rally around a shared purpose.

4. Know Your Legal Rights

Under SMCRA

You have the right to:

  • Inspect permits and files
  • Submit written comments
  • Request inspections
  • Participate in hearings
  • File citizen complaints
  • Challenge unlawful permits

Under the Clean Water Act

You can challenge:

  • Stream filling
  • Valley fills
  • Permit violations
  • Unlawful discharges

State Laws

Many states also allow:

  • Appeals
  • Administrative hearings
  • Citizen suits
  • Property damage claims

This is where outside legal partners can help.

5. Engage Effectively in Public Comment Periods

Strong Comment Letter Tips

Your comments will be strongest if they:

  • Cite permit numbers and specific deficiencies
  • Include photos, logs, or monitoring data
  • Refer to SMCRA or CWA requirements
  • Highlight cumulative impacts
  • Clarify proximity to homes, wells, or vulnerable people

Common Issues to Raise

  • Incomplete baseline data
  • Inaccurate hydrologic assessments
  • Subsidence risks
  • Blasting impacts
  • Threats to drinking water
  • Flooding history
  • Failure to consider existing violations
  • Inadequate reclamation plans

6. Work With Allies

Potential Partners

  • Local watershed groups
  • Environmental justice organizations
  • Legal nonprofits
  • University researchers
  • Landowners’ associations
  • Journalists
  • Public health departments

Why Partnerships Matter

Experts can help with:

  • Mapping
  • Hydrology review
  • Legal strategy
  • Data interpretation
  • Media outreach
  • Grant writing

Partnering multiplies your power.

7. Use Media and Public Visibility Strategically

Options for Getting the Word Out

  • Press releases
  • Public events or stream walks
  • Social media updates
  • Flyers and posters
  • Testimonials from local families
  • Interviews with affected residents

Key Messaging Tips

Focus on:

  • Protection of water and health
  • Fairness and accountability
  • Local stories and lived experience
  • Science-based concerns
  • Reasonable expectations

Avoid language that attacks workers—focus on industry decisions and regulatory failures, not miners.

8. Track Regulator Response

Monitor for Signs of Problems

  • Missing or delayed inspections
  • Ignored complaints
  • Poor-quality reporting
  • Reliance on company data
  • Failure to enforce permit conditions
  • Rubber-stamping renewals

When to Escalate

  • File a formal SMCRA complaint
  • Request a federal OSMRE oversight review
  • Contact EPA if water issues arise
  • Request a hearing or appeal

9. Understand Possible Outcomes

Organizing *can* lead to:

  • Permit withdrawals
  • Delays that buy time for new data or public pressure
  • Significant permit revisions
  • Additional protections
  • Stronger monitoring requirements
  • Halted expansions

Even when a permit is ultimately issued, community organizing can profoundly influence the conditions under which the mine operates.

10. Prepare for Long-Term Monitoring

Mining fights are rarely one-time events. Plan for:

  • Ongoing community meetings
  • Annual water testing
  • Post-mining monitoring
  • Tracking reclamation progress
  • Maintaining pressure on regulators

A well-organized community stays empowered long after the immediate threat.

Appendix: Quick Tools You Can Use

Printable Checklists

Template Letters and Guides

How-To Guides