Arch Coal has agreed to implement changes to its mining operations in Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky to ensure compliance with the Clean Water Act, and will also implement a treatment system to reduce discharges of selenium, a pollutant found in mine discharges.
Selenium runoff from mining operations can build up in streams and have an adverse impact on aquatic organisms.
Arch Coal will also take measures that will prevent an estimated two million pounds of pollution from entering the nation’s waters each year, and will implement a series of inspections, audits and tracking measures to ensure treatment systems are working properly and that future compliance is achieved.
The company is also required to develop and implement a compliance management system to help foster a top-down, compliance and prevention-focused approach to Clean Water Act issues.
Under the settlement, $2m of the civil penalty will be paid to the US and the remaining will be divided between West Virginia and Kentucky based on the percentage of alleged violations in each state.
Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division assistant attorney general Ignacia Moreno said that the measures required by this settlement will prevent pollutants from entering waterways and bring wide-ranging improvements to mining operations in four mining complexes across three states.
"These changes will mean a healthier environment for local communities and will help ensure Arch Coal’s compliance with the Clean Water Act," Moreno said.
