20210617_MSHA

From: Riddle, Shawna
To: O"Bovle. Rvan K - MSHA
Cc: mueenscarralvahoo.com; Parr. Adam
Subject: RE: [External] Complaint regarding Fly rock from a mine near Spruce Pine, NC
Date: Thursday, June 17, 2021 10:36:55 AM
Attachments: imaae002.ono
imaae004.ono
Mr. O'Boyle -
Thank you for the email and information. NCDEQ— Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources is the Agency that handles blasting complaints at mining sites.
The mine permittee has been contacted and blasting records have been requested by Adam Parr, Assistant State Mining Engineer. I will also conduct an
inspection of the mine. My cell number is 919-302-5311 in case you need to contact me.
Thanks
Shawna
Shawna Riddle
Environmental Senior Specialist
Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
828.296.4500 (Office) 828.299.7043 (Fax)
Shawna. Ridd leO ncden r.gov
Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the
North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
From: O'Boyle, Ryan K - MSHA <OBoyle. Ryan@ DOL.GOV>
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 20215:14 PM
To: Riddle, Shawna <[e-mail]>
Cc: [e-mail]
Subject: [External] Complaint regarding fly rock from a mine near Spruce Pine, NC
CAUTION: External email. Do not click links or open attachments unless you verify. Send all suspicious email as an attachment to Report Spam.
Ms. Riddle -
I received a call this morning from Lacy Queen with a complaint on a mine located near 2533 Altapass Hwy in Spruce Pine, INC (Mitchell County). The
mine in question is Buechel Stone Corp., Steel Gray mine (MSHA ID 31-02315). The complaint was mainly regarding a recent fly rock incident from
blast this week where rocks hit Lacy's mother's house and several landed in her yard. Lacy told me the company drilled and shot 87 holes and 11-12
holes didn't detonate on the first blast. When these remaining holes were shot, there was additional fly rock that went onto the highway. My agency,
the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA), has very limited jurisdiction on anything that is not on mine property unless there is an injury or
death caused something that occurred at the mine. There is not much we can do within our regulations to address this situation. Obviously this is a
serious issue, so I'm trying to find another agency that has jurisdiction over the matter and can help. If your office/agency doesn't handle fly rock
issues, I would appreciate if you could give me guidance for which state agency to contact.
Lacy other concerns were regarding excessive vibration from the blast at the house from the blast as well as drill dust leaving mine property. This mine
is located directly adjacent to the river and she also wondered if there were environmental risks due to this fact. MSHA's regulation are geared toward
protecting the health and safety of miners, not environmental issues or off -site issues.
As I mentioned above Lacy's mother, Ruth Queen, lives in the house adjacent to the mine. Ruth called me last summer with concern regarding
Buechel's blasting practices last summer. Below is a screen shot from Google Earth showing the proximity of Ruth's home to the mine (the placemark
is her house). The Google Earth image is dated 04/26/2019, so I'm sure the mining has progressed from what is shown below. It would probably be
best to contact Lacy directly if you have other specific questions. Her number is 828-385-2365 and I have cc:'d her on this email. Ruth Queen is the
actual homeowner and her number is 828-766-5984 if you need to contact her.
My contact information is in my signature line if you have any specific questions for me or if I can assist in any way

Thanks,
Ryan O'Boyle, PE
Supervisor, Knoxville Field Office
MSHA Barbourville District
4700 Rutledge Pike
Knoxville, TN 37914
Main: [phone]
Direct: [phone]
Mobile: [phone]