IDNR rejects strip mine permit in Fulton County

 The Illinois Department of Natural Resources rejected a permit for a proposed coal mine in Fulton County.  The Joyce Blumenshine of the Illinois Sierra Club says the mine was proposed between the Rice Lake and Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife areas.  She says both areas are recognized as Globally Important Bird Areas.  The decision from the I-DNR comes five years after the Sierra Club, Illinois Attorney General and other groups filed for a review of the mining permit.