BUREAU OF GEOLOGY


routinely with permits in this department. In final review stages, the
package of draft permits should be the subject of a public hearing to
receive comments on the draft. The public hearing on a draft permit is,
already done for some DEM permits, and the 1981 amendments to the
Mining Act provide for a public hearing on any new mining application
when significant revisions of existing mining permits where there is sig-
nificant public interest.
 "The task force recommends that the Division of Land Resources,
 with the Division of Environmental Management's assistance, prepare
 packets of application materials and information, a NPDES permit appli-
 cation, an air quality permit application, a water use permit application, a
 list of contacts on permitting matters, and a copy of this report. The task
 force does not recommend the development of any new combined appli-
 cation.
 "Use of the mining permit as the state's primary management tool for
peat mining requires that additional information be included in mining
permits. Table lil (in Chapter IV) enumerates the issues related to peat
mining and specifies which permit covers each issue. Each issue which
can be addressed by the Mining Act should be included in a mining permit
for peat.
 "Inasmuch as is possible, permits from other departments and permits
for peat use activities should be included in this comprehensive review
recommended for the mining and related permits.
3. Impacts of Peat Use
 Each proposed facility which will use peat should be carefully studied
on its own merits. These facilities, by their highly specialized nature, are
expected to have process-specific and site-specific impacts.. For exam-
ple, in addition to DNRCD permit requirements, any electric generating
plants will be closely controlled under North Carolina's utilities laws, and
the proposed methanol plant is subject to the special stipulations of the
federal Energy Security Act. Other uses, such as industrial process heat,
are not so obviously covered.
 "All uses of peat, except horticultural peat, will probably involve facili-
ties which require NPDES, air, and water use permits. The task force
expects that these permits will cover the most serious impacts of such
facilities. The immediate site-related impacts of peat transportation from
mines to users should be covered under comprehensive mining permits.
 "In the specific case of Peat Methanol Associates' proposed methanol
plant, the task force found no impacts which could not be covered by
either these permits or by the comprehensive mining permit to be applied
to the mine supplying peat for the plant. The special environmental moni-
toring plans required under the federal Energy Security Act for this pro-
ject should be specifically incorporated into the related mining permit.
These data will provide critical additional information regarding impacts
of peat mining and use.
 "The task force recommends that DNRCD continue to track closely