EASTON PA – Haines and Kibblehouse Inc., the Skippack-based construction and construction materials company that operates the Pottstown Trap Rock quarry site in Sanatoga PA, is asking the state Department of Environmental Protection to expand the surface acreage and depth of its mining operations at a quarry site north of Easton PA in Northampton County.

The request is separate from and unrelated to H&K’s Sanatoga business.

An legal advertisement announcing the submission of the company’s application for its Easton Quarry amendment was published Monday. The text of the notice follows:

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Haines & Kibblehouse, Inc., 2052 Lucon Road, P.O. Box 196, Skippack, PA 19474, has submitted an application to the Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), Pottsville District Mining Office, for a Major Permit Modification at A.B.E. Materials – Easton Quarry, Non-Coal Surface Mining Permit (SMP) #48870301. A.B.E. Materials – Easton Quarry is located in Lower Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County.

This application seeks to amend the permit boundary to be consistent with a recent full tract boundary survey, which will result in an increase of 1.32 acres in the Surface Mining Permit Area from 291.24 acres to 292.56 acres. The application also includes a depth correction to advance mining vertically an additional 50 feet from the current permitted elevation of 250 feet mean sea level to 200 feet mean sea level. Lastly, the application also seeks approval to revise the approved Reclamation Plan to allow for the importation and use of reclamation fill to return a portion of the site to its approximate original grade through reclamation activities.

The site is located approximately 2.75 inches North and 8.95 inches West from the bottom right corner of the Bangor, PA-NJ U.S.G.S. 71/2′ Topographic Quadrangle. More specifically, it is located nearest to the intersection of State Route 611 (S.R. 0611) and Lower Mud Run Road (T-660), approximately 5 miles north of the City of Easton.

This Application is submitted under the provisions of the Noncoal Surface Mining Conservation and Reclamation Act No. 1984-219 as amended. A copy of the application is available for public review at the Lower Mount Bethel Township Municipal Building, 2004 Hutchinson Avenue, Martins Creek, PA 18063, Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:30 AM and 5:00 PM.

Written comments, objections, or requests for public hearings or informal conferences regarding the application may be directed to Michael J. Menghini, District Mining Manager, District Mining Operations, 5 West Laurel Boulevard, Pottsville, PA 17901-2522, up to and including thirty (30) days after the fourth publication, or no later than Wednesday, November 21, 2012. The correspondence must include the person’s name, address, telephone number, and a brief description as to the nature of the objection.