The appetite for Utah coal is increasing, and we need your help in addressing proposed permits by the State Division of Oil, Gas and Mining for the Book Cliffs.

In 2001, SUWA successfully blocked a new coal mine from opening in Lila Canyon, which is located between Price and Green River just east of Highway 6. This spectacular area is included in the Desolation Canyon area, which is the largest block of proposed wilderness in America's Red Rock Wilderness Act. This area's springs and seeps also provide critical year-round water for residents and wildlife, including bighorn sheep, elk and deer.

The State has once again issued a permit to mine coal in Lila Canyon. The State will allow another 4,700 acres of land to be mined, which is 3.5 times larger than another mine in the same area (Horse Canyon Mine). In total, over 50 million tons of coal could be extracted from this area.

Of immediate need is help in organizing the Administrative Record. We need help numbering documents and recording their title so the attorneys can easily access them as they file the briefs and argue the case. One of our summer law clerks will be overseeing the project, so don't worry if you've never done anything like this before. A simple eye towards detail and organization is all that is needed (it will only take a few minutes to explain the project, so again, don't worry, it's not hard).

We could use 3-4 volunteers per day over the next two weeks to organize the files. If you are free, please contact Jeremy Christensen at Jeremy@suwa.org or (801) 486-3161.

If there are other ways that you would like to get involved in this project, please let us know.