MINE EXPANSION THREATENS THE WATERSHED
Despite significant public outcry for impacts to environmental and community health, LCT Energy has submitted a permit application to expand their Rustic Ridge Deep Mine by 1,400 acres, with future plans to expand by an additional 2,300 acres towards Bullskin, Mount Pleasant and Cook Townships. In the spring of 2025, PA DEP approved the expansion permit.
We predict that the proposed expansion could significantly dewater the headwaters of the Loyalhanna Watershed by removing water from Loyalhanna and redirecting it to the Indian Creek Watershed. Considering the size of the proposed expansion, MWA believes this would result in the headwaters of the Loyalhanna – specifically Four Mile Run – eventually going dry while Champion Creek of the Indian Creek Watershed would become chronically flooded.
OUR CAMPAIGN
On June 27, 2025, MWA filed a legal appeal challenging PA DEP's approval of the Rustic Ridge mine expansion. We are working with a private law firm that is one of the only in the state that regularly – and successfully – litigates against the mining and fracking industries. While we are confident in their ability to bring forward the best possible case for us, legal challenges are inevitably costly.
We have set a goal of raising $500,000 to support our legal challenge of the Rustic Ridge Deep Mine expansion in order to protect the health of our watershed and all who depend on it.
