Citizens' group sues over Pa. longwall pollution

The Center for Coalfield Justice, based in Washington, Pa., filed the federal lawsuit Friday in Pittsburgh against Emerald Coal Resources LP, which operates the Emerald Mine in Waynesburg, Greene County. The citizens' group is being backed by the Earthrise Law Center in Norwell, Mass.

The lawsuit contends Emerald Coal has violated pollution levels for iron, manganese, aluminum and other pollutants more than 120 times in the past 12 months and more than 400 times in the past five years. The group is basing those claims on violations the company has been self-reporting to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Emerald's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit as part of the federal Clean Water Act.

"Plaintiff and its members reasonably fear harm from using the waters affected by Emerald's illegal discharges, recreating in and near such waters, and eating fish caught in such waters," the lawsuit said. "Due to the chronic and persistent nature of these violations, there is more than a reasonable likelihood of ongoing permit violations in the future."

Officials with the mining company referred calls to the parent company, Alpha Natural Resources, of Bristol, Va., where The Associated Press was told nobody was available for comment.