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A new coal mine permit has been approved for Claiborne County, with the project expected to produce up to 1.8 million tons of coal along with approximately 24 local jobs over the next 10 years.

Last Tuesday, the U.S. Department of the Interior released that it had granted an expedited permit for Hurricane Creek Mining, LLC, to mine coal at a site that has been previously mined through 2010 on Bryson Mountain. The permit was expedited through environmental review under newly established procedures that were created after President Donald Trump declared a national energy emergency earlier this year.

With the permit approved, Hurricane Creek Mining is authorized to surface mine several coal seams on about 635 acres, using augers, highwall and contour methods. The Department of the Interior noted that the coal seams contain specialty market and thermal use coal.

The location of the proposed HCM Mine #2 is in Claiborne County — approximately

6.5 miles southwest of Middlesboro and 5.5 miles east of Clairfield. It is located near the head of Valley Creek, Spruce Lick Branch, and Burrell Branch on the western slopes of Bryson Mountain.

A 66-page permit application with the Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement states that the site was previously mined from the 1950s through 2010. The area contains a total of six stray seams, two sterling seams and two poplar lick seams that range in thickness from less than 12 inches to more than 48 inches, the permit states. The document also mentions that the mine plan also includes 289.54 acres of “potential auger/thin seam mining areas for a total affected area of 924.71 acres.”

According to the permit, the land where the mining will happen is privately owned by CF Ataya LLC, which is an affiliate of The Nature Conservancy. The Nature Conservancy states on its website that it is “a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive.” The permit states that the land owner has future plans to benefit wildlife and pollinators.

Specialty coal is primarily used for steel making and special industrial use, including the potential for extraction of rare earth metals or trace minerals, the DOI said. The agency added that occasionally, the coal is blended with low grade coal for electricity generation.

“This project reflects a broader shift, one where American resources are being put to work for American strength,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Adam Suess. “We’re not just issuing permits—we’re supporting communities, securing supply chains for critical industries, and making sure the U.S. stays competitive in a changing global energy landscape.”

According to the DOI, the approval of the mining permit “complements” the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s support for the U.S. coal industry, which reduced royalty rates for mining federal coal and opened millions of acres for federal coal leasing.

Hurricane Creek’s permit application includes a plan for restoring the land once mining operations have been completed.

“Under the proposed reclamation plan, the postmining land use would be undeveloped forest land and wildlife habitat at the request of the landowner,” that portion of the permit application reads.. “All ponds would be reclaimed to wetland areas and roadways would be retained as permanent facilities for access and for wildlife enhancement efforts. The land use would be achieved by planting vegetative species conducive for food sources and protective cover for wildlife.”

The application’s transportation plan would have the coal taken by truck to the Hurricane Creek Preparation Plant in Middlesboro. Initial mining would start near Big Coal Gap, and coal would be hauled on Fork Ridge Road and Kentucky State Highway 186. As mining progresses to the west, coal could be hauled downslope to the Valley Creek Road and back to Fork Ridge Road rather than following the mine bench back to Big Coal Gap.

The preparation plant would then clean and process the coal to remove dirt, rock, ash, sulfur, and other unwanted materials. It is estimated that 18-20 coal trucks per day would travel roundtrip from the proposed permit area to the Middlesboro, KY Preparation Plant.

The applicant has indicated that approximately 24 people would have direct employment with the coal company at this mine during the life of this proposed project.