The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company is one step closer to restarting operations at its Greenwood Breaker on Route 209 in Tamaqua.

Shut down since February 2001, the closure has created a strain on the economy of the Tamaqua and Panther Valley areas as more than 200 employees have been out of work.Deeply in debt, the company plans to use a $9 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Business Service to pay off its creditors and reopen for business.