BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) - On Thursday a University of Alabama student plans to lead a protest and deliver a petition with 6,000 signatures outside the University of Alabama Board of Trustees meeting in Birmingham.
Students want the Board of Trustees to make a commitment not to lease land owned by the University of Alabama for the proposed 1,773 acre coal mine.
Major points of concern for many
opponents of the proposed mine are the site's proximity to a major drinking water intake used by the Birmingham Water Works Board and the potential for mining related pollution to enter the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River.
It won't be the first time an individual or an organization has approached the University of Alabama System requesting a commitment not to lease the land.
University of Alabama System representatives have repeatedly stated that the university has not been approached about leasing the land and has no current plans to do so.
"The University of Alabama System leaders need to make a clear commitment that they would never sell or lease their land and minerals for mining at Shepherd Bend," said Charles Scribner, executive director of Black Warrior Riverkeeper.
