T-L Photo/KAY SEDGMER SEARCHING FOR their property on a map showing a proposed longwall underground coal mine in Goshen Township are Bethesda-area residents Lorene Aller and Clyde Repik. The two were among some 50 individuals who attending a gathering sponsored by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Miner Resources Management at Ohio University Eastern Campus near St. Clairsville to discuss a longwall mining permit for Ohio Valley Coal.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — An “informal conference” centering around a controversial underground mining permit application drew a crowd of more than 50 individuals Thursday afternoon at Ohio University Eastern Campus. Hosted by the State of Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mineral Resources Management, several people took the opportunity to voice both support and concerns for an underground coal mining and reclamation permit application filed by Ohio Valley Coal Co. of Alledonia. The application is for an underground longwall mine located in Goshen Township in Belmont County. The paperwork was originally filed in October of last year with ODNR and was completed on Dec. 7. The debate on the permit focused mainly on a section of land that houses a command building and four 64-foot towers used by radio communication by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).