In late July 2012, three organizations filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Big Stone Gap alleging that the Penn Virginia Operating Company violated the federal Clean Water Act by discharging pollutants without a permit to several streams at former mining sites in Wise County. The suit, filed by Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, the Sierra Club, and Appalachian Voices, claims that the waterways received discharges of various metals from several mine-refuse piles, known as “gob piles.” The suit seeks civil penalties, monitoring of the sites, and remediation of any violations found. On July 30, a spokesperson for Penn Virginia told The Roanoke Times that the company believes it is in compliance with regulations. The case is 2:12-cv-00020, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards et al v. Penn Virginia Operating Company, LLC.
Source: Lawsuit accuses mining operation of pollution violations in Wise Co., Roanoke Times, 7/31/12
