Photo by: Reuters
TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – A US federal judge of the Western Virginia District Court had last week ruled that two mines owned by NYSE-listed US coal producer Alpha Natural Resources in southern West Virginia had illegally polluted streams.
District chief judge Robert Chambers in his verdict on Wednesday found that Alpha subsidiaries Elk Run Coal Company and Alex Energy, both mountain-top-removal mines, had discharged high levels of ionic pollution into Laurel Creek and Robinson Fork and harmed the streams’ aquatic ecosystems.
Elk Run owns and operates the White Castle No 1 surface mine and the East of Stollings surface mine, both in Boone County, West Virginia. Alex Energy operates the Robinson North surface mine and the Wildcat surface mine, both in Nicholas County, West Virginia.
“In multiple ways, the chemical and the biological components of the aquatic ecosystems found in Laurel Creek and Robinson Fork have been significantly adversely affected by defendants‘ discharges. The water chemistry of these streams has been dramatically altered, containing levels of ionic salts – measured as conductivity, which are scientifically proven to be seriously detrimental to aquatic life,” Judge Chambers said in his verdict.
News agency Bloomberg reported that an Alpha spokesperson said the miner would appeal the ruling, expecting it to be reversed.