HEAR COMMENTS FROM DEP SPOKESWOMAN JESSICA GREATHOUSE BY CLICKING "LIVE AUDIO" ICON ABOVE.

The state Department of Environmental Protection is now putting a review of all deep mining permits that have been issued for areas near impoundments at the top of it's "to do" list.

"We have office staff looking at mining permits that have been approved in the last year or two to make sure none of them have been illegally approved," said DEP Communications Director Jessica Greathouse. "We also have our inspection staff out in the field right now looking at all underground mines near impoundments to make sure no mining is happening in the safety zone."

Alarm bells were raised at DEP earlier this month when it was discovered a permit for a Wyoming County mine would have mistakenly allowed the miners to dig coal from the earth directly below the Smith Branch impoundment. That could have put the miners and residents nearby into a precarious situation.

Greathouse says DEP noticed the mistake and immediately suspended the mining permit in the safety zone for Bluestone Coal Company.   Now they want to make sure it was only an isolated mistake and there aren't other problems out there just waiting to happen.

Greathouse says the review effort is a top priority for the agency and a lot of manpower is being allocated to the work.

"There's the potential if mining gets too close to an impoundment or under an impoundment we don't want the impoundment to break through and then water or slurry rush through the mine.  It could potentially pose a danger to residents,” Greathouse said.

The DEP anticipates it will take about a month to thoroughly review permits at all of the mines potentially affected.  Greathouse says about 25 percent of the permits and miners have been reviewed and inspected during the past two weeks.