State Delays Decision On Bulldog Mine

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is asking for more information before deciding whether to approve an Indiana company's request to build a new coal mine in eastern Illinois.  

A DNR decision on the operating permit sought by Sunrise Coal of Carlisle for its Bulldog Mine near the village of Allerton in Champaign and Vermilion counties was initially expected ln late February.  

But the agency now says it will issue what's known as a modification letter that gives the company another year to respond. Sunrise Coal submitted its application in June 2012.  

The company says the mine would generate 300 jobs paying an average of $76,0 annually. Environmental groups opposed to the project cite potential threats to water quality and the region's fertile farmland.