Residents Concerned Over Mining Expansion in Duenweg, MO - KOAM TV 7

Initial reaction to the mining expansion was about the same among the Duenweg community. Like most of the attendees at the packed meeting, Helen Buren owns property near north county road 190 just outside of the proposed expansion area.

"We have several rental properties in that area, it's going to affect our livelihood because i know some of our renters don't want to listen to the blasting and all the dust and everything occurring from that."

But Joplin Stone GM Chris Williams says that won't be an issue... At least not for a long, long while.

"So we have a 30 acre block that's part of our current mine plan. Within that we expect to operate for another 8 to 10 years before moving across the street. We've got 40 acres here, which will get us through the year 2038, 2040. Our projections are out about 2040 before mining on that ground."

That ground, being the 280 acre plot they already own, but hope to add to the original mining plan. It's more than 200 hundred acres away from the land bordering residential housing.. And Williams says it won't be mined for the next hundred years or so. The company also plans to leave the land a better place than when they arrived.

"We have drawings of our plans to leave several large lakes with wildlife refuge around them and then natural pasture. Our goal is to leave a better site when we're done than when we began mining."