This week, members from Sierra Club’s Dacotah Chapter turned out in full force at the hearing for a proposed coal mine and coal gasification plant in southwestern North Dakota. A total of 81 Club volunteers attended the hearing in Dickinson, and 25 people testified against the project proposed by the South Heart Coal Company, which would create a 4,600-acre coal mine to fuel a nearby power plant.
When the state’s Public Service Commission scheduled a hearing to take public comments on the project, our chapter came prepared: citizen after citizen testified that the proposed project would increase the area’s reliance on dirty fossil fuels and potentially damage not just surface and ground water but also local farms and ranches. These negative consequences for the community and economy make it clear that we must help push the region toward cleaner sources of energy.
The Club’s efforts at the hearing resulted in several pieces published in the local newspaper, The Dickinson Press, and also caught the eye of local radio and the Associated Press.
(Photo: Sierra Club volunteers and supporters listen at hearing.)