The Commonwealth Court ruled that unless there is irreparable harm to the property, the plaintiffs could not force Consol to stop longwall mining.

Subsidence is a major issue in the United States. According to US press reports last week, federal mining officials estimate West Virginia has US$600 million worth of abandoned mine land reclamation projects that have yet to be funded, including 756 sinking problems that would cost $US53 million to correct.

Last year, the states and the Office of Surface Mining declared 353 abandoned mine land emergencies. Some of the biggest problems are in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Kansas. Ohio officials estimate that more than 6000 underground mines have been abandoned, covering more than 600,000 acres in 39 mainly eastern and south-eastern counties.

In the tiny West Virginian town of Thomas, the state is pumping 30,000 cubic yards of concrete and grout into a mine abandoned in the 1930s. Some 300 holes are being drilled around 40 homes.