Robert Murray Sr. said he has great "empathy" for the people of Fallowfield Township whose homes are subsiding because of longwall mining. But he adds that his company has the right to the coal under those homes and Maple Creek Mining will extract it all.
That was Murray's message in an exclusive interview recently with The Valley Independent.
"I can understand a person not wanting their property disturbed and I have great empathy for anyone whose property our mining is disturbing," Murray said. "However, Maple Creek owns the coal. In our deed for the coal, it says we have the right to remove all of the coal and they waive all damages. That's the law of the land."
Murray said he has the "constitutional right" to that coal.
"They bought their homes knowing the mine company owns that coal," Murray said. "Under the constitution, no damages should be paid. But we share the same planet and thus Maple Creek and other companies go out of their way to share the damages."
Longwall mining involves the total extraction of the coal.
Maple Creek Mining has conducted longwall mining in the township since fall 2003. It plans to mine 2,130 acres through 2008.
State Act 54 of 1994, which allows coal companies to mine beneath homes and other structures built before 1966, as long as property owners are compensated for subsidence damage and water loss.
Several homeowners have already experienced mine subsidence damage to their homes.
Murray said his company pays property owners in advance and again if they have sustained damage to their homes for the loss of property and water supplies.
"One fact that the public in general and the politicians ignore is that we have property rights," Murray said. "Those rights were there before any surface property owner bought their homes. While we have empathy for the people who have been disturbed, this is not a one-party issue.
"We have a business that creates jobs in Pennsylvania and relies on that coal. We have people who depend on those jobs."
Murray said Pennsylvania State University estimates that one mining job creates 11 ancillary jobs. At that rate, Maple Creek's mining operations mean 5,500 additional jobs for the area, Murray said.
The mine has been hurt by false statements made by a handful of people in Fallowfield, Murray claimed.
"The people in the area who complain are making a lot of false statements that are simply not true," Murray said. "They been doing a lot of exaggerating and they think they can take away our constitutional property rights and that's simply not going to happen."
Murray said there are "many good folks" in Fallowfield that he hoped the mine company's operations never disturbed.
"It's a very small minority -- three or four people -- who are making the noise," Murray said. "They do not represent the majority. You in the media react to a vocal few."
More than 300 people jammed into the Fallowfield Fire Hall and countless others were unable to get into the doors during a town meeting Feb. 26 to discuss subsidence and longwall mining. The meeting was called by a handful of township residents with the help of environmental group the Tri-State Citizens Network.
As a result of that meeting, the grassroots citizens group Fallowfield Land Guard was formed. Currently, 22 families have joined FLAG and 17 others are regularly represented at the organization's monthly meetings, FLAG co-chairman Brian Lang said.
Ten township residents were among 40 who traveled by bus to Harrisburg in June to lobby state lawmakers for changes to Act 54.
