WARRICK COUNTY, Ind. (WEHT) – Gary Susott and Stacey Enlow live in a rural area of Warrick County, just southeast of the town of Elberfeld, but their front yard view of wide open fields may soon show large trucks hauling away coal.
“We’re going to get it out here for sure one way or another,” says Susott. “It’s here, we can’t do anything about that.” Documents show plans for Peabody Midwest Mining to expand their surface mining operations in Warrick County between Seven Hills Road and Interstate 64. Enlow says other than a letter in the mail, she has not been given any details of the proposed expansion.
ALHI Mine Boundary BZA-SU-26-14_1781730052Download
“They’re definitely not transparent,” Enlow says. “I mean, we received a notice in the mail, but we really don’t know what it means.” Peabody revealed some of the plans for the expansion in the below statement sent to Eyewitness News on June 18, 2026.
“The proposal reflects a continuation of the Seven Hills area, part of our Wild Boar Complex. Peabody has obtained all required mining and environmental permits for this work, reflecting multiple opportunities for public comment and dialogue with local officials. This continues surface coal mining activities consistent with those already in place and maintains strong safety and environmental standards.” – Peabody
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Enlow and Susott say ongoing mining already produces issues like vibrations, noise, speeding traffic and dust. “There’s dust everywhere all the time; on our cars, in the windowsills, on the chairs and porch,” she says. “If they would stay back a little bit, I know we’d still have the dust, but I think that when they get closer, it’s going to be really, really excessive.”…