Tuesday, June 19, 2012

EPA sues coal companies, says they buried Eastern Kentucky streams without proper permits

The Environmental Protection Agency has accused several Eastern Kentucky coal mining companies of burying streams in the region without proper permits, Bill Estep of the Lexington Herald-Leader reported earlier this month. The agency said in a lawsuit that the companies should restore the sites or pay for mitigation projects elsewhere. The suit was filed in federal court in Pikeville, in the heart of the Central Appalachian coalfield.

The damages sought by EPA could reach into the millions of dollars. Companies named in the lawsuit are Frasure Creek Mining, Essar Minerals, Trinity Coal Groups, Trinity Coal Partners, Bear Fork Resources, Falcon Resources and Prater Branch Resources. EPA alleges that beginning in 2005, the companies buried more than 11,000 feet of streams at two surface mines in Eastern Kentucky without the required federal permits. (Read more)

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