Wetlands Destroyed

Chicago, IL: (May-08-08) The US Environmental Protection Agency brought a lawsuit against Black Beauty Coal Co. of Evansville, IN, and its subsidiary Arclar Co. of Equality, IL, alleging that they filled in streams and wetlands without a permit while mining in IL and IN. The federal agency stated that Vigo and Gibson counties, IN, and Gallatin and Saline counties, IL, adversely affected ditches, streams, creeks and wetlands near their mines over several years. Experts said that approximately 164,179 linear feet of streams were affected at all three sites with about 17 acres of wetlands affected at the IN sites. Additionally, the companies did not have the required permits from the US Army Corps of Engineers to place fill material in the waterways. As per the mandates of the federal Clean Water Act, a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is required to fill in waters of the United States.

As part of a settlement reached in the case, Black Beauty Coal and Arclar will pay a total fine of $75,000, apart from which, Black Beauty Coal has agreed to spend $292,344 to create a forested wetland near its Farmersburg mine in Indiana. Black Beauty Coal is a subsidiary of Peabody Energy. [YAHOO NEWS: BLACK BEAUTY COAL CO. TO CREATE NEW WETLANDS IN INDIANA AS PART OF SETTLEMENT WITH EPA]

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Published on May-10-08