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One of Appalachia's coal-mining giants agreed yesterday to pay $20 million, the largest such fine imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency, after an investigation found more than 4,500 instances in which mine runoff tainted nearby waters.
Massey Energy Co., based in Richmond, also pledged to make about $10 million worth of upgrades to prevent such violations and to clean up a West Virginia stream ravaged by mining-related pollution. The terms were mandated in a consent decree filed yesterday in federal court in Charleston, W.Va.
The previous largest fine for violating federal Clean Water Act permits, designed to keep rivers and streams clean, was more than $12 million. It was levied against Virginia's Smithfield Foods in 1997 for contaminating waterways with hog waste.
The EPA sued Massey in May. The agency said the penalty was triggered by the scale of Massey's misconduct. Robert Klepp, the lead EPA attorney in the case, said dirt, powdered coal and metals leaked out of dozens of Massey-owned sites and into waterways in West Virginia and Kentucky for almost seven years.
"This is a signal that, you know, EPA is on the job," Klepp said. A years-long investigation had shown that Massey neglected environmental safeguards, he said, adding: "They had other priorities. We think this agreement is going to refocus the priorities."
Massey is among the top 10 coal companies in the country, and it dominates in central Appalachia, a region that includes Virginia, Kentucky and southern West Virginia.
Full Story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/17/AR2008011702838.html
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Mining Giant to Pay $20 Million EPA Fine
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Runoff Polluted Waters in W.Va., Ky.
By David A. Fahrenthold
Washington Post, January 18, 2008
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