Workers at the Duke Energy Dan River Steam Station attempt to seal a drain pipe, which runs under a coal ash pond after the pipe was was found to be leaking and dumping coal ash and arsenic into the Dan River, in Eden, N.C., in this Feb. 19, 2014, file photo.WASHINGTON – One of the nation’s largest coal producers will pay a $27.5 million fine and spend $200 million to reduce illegal toxic discharges into hundreds of waterways across five Appalachian states, according to a proposed settlement Wednesday.
The agreement includes the largest fine ever for violations of water pollution permits. The Associated Press obtained details about the settlement before it was filed Wednesday in federal court in West Virginia.
The discharges occurred in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia,
“This is the largest one, period,” said Cynthia Giles, head of the Environmental Protection Agency’s enforcement office, told the AP. “It’s the biggest case for permit violations for numbers of violations and size of the penalty, which reflects the seriousness of violations.”
The government says that between 2006 and 2013, Alpha Natural Resources Inc. and dozens of subsidiaries violated water pollution limits in state-issued permits more than 6,000 times. They discharged heavy metals and other contaminants harmful to fish and other wildlife from nearly 800 outfall pipes directly into rivers, streams and tributaries, according to the government.