Bulldog Coal Mine

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Bulldog Coal Mine is a cancelled coal mine in Allerton, Illinois, United States.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Bulldog Coal Mine	Allerton, Illinois, United States	39.9150217, -87.9468917 (approximate)

The map below shows the approximate location of the coal mine:

Loading map...

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Project Type	Opening Year	Closing Year
Cancelled	Pre-Permit	New	–	–

Table 3: Operation details

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.

Capacity (Mtpa)	Production (Mtpa)	Year of Production	Mine Type	Mining Method	Mine Size (km2)	Mine Depth (m)	Workforce Size
2.7215540999999996	–	–	Underground	Longwall	–	373*	300

Table 4: Coal resources and destination

Total Reserves (Mt)	Year of Total Reserves Recorded	Total Resources (Mt)	Coalfield	Coal Type	Coal Grade	Primary Consumer/ Destination
50	–	–	Illinois Basin	Bituminous	Thermal	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Sunrise Coal	Hallador Energy	USA

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the GEM April 2024 Global Coal Mine Tracker dataset.

Background

Bulldog Mine is a proposed U.S. coal mine for Vermilion County, Illinois, by Indiana-based Sunrise Coal. 

In 2022, the company did not fulfill the requirements of the build permit or seek an extension. The project is presumed shelved. Vermilion County sits near the center of the coal-dense Illinois Basin. The coal is high sulfur, but modern pollution scrubbers have made the coal viable under current EPA regulations regarding sulfur dioxide.

In June 2012, Sunrise Coal applied to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to extract coal from what they’re calling the Bulldog Mine.

According to John Hanou, an energy consultant who published a proprietary report on Illinois Basin coal, it costs $20-30 less a ton to mine coal in the Illinois Basin than in Appalachia, "and there’s still a robust domestic market for coal and a burgeoning export market to China and India." Sunrise Coal said they cannot say where they will be selling the coal since they do not yet have contracts, but that they are best situated geographically to sell in the Midwest. The Vermilion County area is served by the Norfolk Southern Railroad, which directly supplies coal to coal-burning power plants in the Southeast.

In April 2019, after nearly 10 years in review, the mining permit for Sunrise Coal’s Bulldog Mine has been issued. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources approved the permit after Sunrise Coal made multiple revisions to it. These revisions were made in response to public comment on the first draft at a hearing that took place over four years ago, resulting in a letter that required over 60 changes be made. Sunrise Coal (which recently hired Scott Pruitt as their lobbyist) was given a year to respond to those modifications and then two extensions for a total of two and a half years to finish revisions.

The last step before a permit is officially issued is an administrative review of the mining permit. Stand Up To Coal filed as a petitioner in the review, and the mine’s lawyers submitted a petition to dismiss the group from participating. A hearing was scheduled for May 21, 2020 to decide whether or not Stand Up to Coal could participate, and it is not clear what the outcome was.

• Sponsor: Sunrise Coal LLC
• Parent Company: Hallador Energy
• Location: Vermilion County, Illinois, United States
• GPS Coordinates: 39.9150217, -87.9468917 (approximate)
• Status: Shelved
• Production Capacity: 3 mtpa
• Total Resource:
• Mineable Reserves: 55 million tons
• Coal type: Bituminous
• Mine Size: Over 19,500 acres
• Mine Type: Underground
• Start Year:
• Source of Financing:

Opposition

Water issues

Sunrise estimates it will need between 340,000 and 540,000 gallons of water a day for the first few years of operation, and opponents say that number could climb to 750,000 gallons a day once mining is underway. The totals dwarf the amount used by entire villages in the region. When asked where the mine’s water will come from, the company said initially, “a collection pond.” When a reporter pointed out that rainwater was unlikely to supply the hundreds of thousands of gallons needed, Sunrise Coal said that the company is looking to the village of Homer, Illinois, which borders the mine, for additional water. Opponents say such large water withdrawals could create problems for local needs.

Allegations of secrecy

Mine opponents have objected to what they call Sunrise’s secrecy regarding the mine and how they have tried to suppress public discussion. According to an email obtained by Prairie Rivers Network and supplied to Midwest Energy News, a Sunrise representative emailed Homer Mayor David Lucas in April 2012 saying: "If you receive any inquiry from the press, please direct them to me. It’s important that we not discuss any aspect of the project in public before our permit is secure. I’m sure you understand the challenges it can bring up. I’ll call you later and we can discuss a plan for dealing with the press."

Subsidence

Local farmers have expressed concerns that the mined land will subside, causing disruptions to drainage tile—the elaborate system of subsurface pipe that allows the flat, wet ground to be farmed.

Citizen groups working on the Vermillion Mine

• Stand Up to Coal - According to its website, "Stand Up To Coal is dedicated to informing residents, farmers and landowners in Champaign and Vermilion Counties, IL about the negative effects that Sunrise Coal, LLC's planned coal mine could have on our lands, waters and health."

Sunrise Coal

Sunrise Coal has operated in Vermilion County before, under the name of Catlin Coal, which developed the Riola mine south of Catlin. Sunrise Coal, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hallador Energy Company of Colorado. Founded in 2002 by Ron and Steve Laswell, the company has focused on underground coal mining. In 2006, Hallador Energy purchased part of Sunrise Coal and began the development of the Carlisle Mine, which removes more than three million tons annually. According to the IDNR, the proposed mining area borders both most recently closed Vermilion County mines. The Riola portal is to the north and the Vermilion Grove portal lies along its eastern boundary.

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.