A coal company's plans for a new mine shaft in southwestern Indiana is facing opposition from nearby residents.
Sunrise Coal is proposing the $5 million project on rural land it owns near the Knox County town of Bruceville. The company says it will cut the underground travel time that miners now face from a current shaft. The Vincennes Sun-Commercial reports some residents are worried that the area's roads are inadequate to handle the large trucks and three shifts of 60 miners each that would travel to and from the mine shaft.
Knox County Development Corp. President Kent Utt is urging the county zoning board to approve the project. He says the mine has nearly 650 workers and that the struggling coal industry needs the county's support.