Planned coal mine subsidence in Illinois - a public information booklet

This booklet was produced to respond to community concerns about the possible effects of underground mining and surface subsidence (the sinking of land surface). The Illinois coal mining industry is using high-extraction mining methods, such as longwall, with greater frequency. Planned subsidence methods, such as high-extraction mining, enable Illinois coal mine operators to maximize mining productivity and decrease the cost of the delivered product. High-extraction mining methods waste less coal than other methods, which leave considerable amounts of coal behind. As a result of the trend toward planned subsidence coal mining methods, the public needs current, useful information on the effects of planned subsidence on the environment. Concerns about these effects on water resources, farmland productivity, and the economy are real. The Illinois Mine Subsidence Research Program was established by the Illinois Coal Association and the Illinois Farm Bureau in 1985 to answer questions about planned subsidence in Illinois. Background information on the coal industry and mining methods will help those concerned with understanding planned subsidence. -from Authors