CALGARY – The Alberta Energy Regulator has laid three charges against Colorado-based Westmoreland Coal Company and subsidiary Prairie Mines & Royalty ULC after a bulldozer was partially buried two years ago.
AER spokesman Ryan Bartlett said about 3,300 cubic metres of material slid from a high wall at the Coal Valley Mine south of Edson, Alta., partly covering the bulldozer, on March 21, 2015.
No one was injured. Bartlett said Westmoreland Coal Company reported the incident at the surface mine two days later.
READ MORE: New rules state Alberta tailings ponds must be reclaimed after 10 years
Both Westmoreland Coal Company and Prairie Mines & Royalty were charged with failing to notify the AER of an incident as soon as practicable and modifying a mining plan without AER approval.
Each company faces a maximum penalty of $500,000 per offence. The first court appearance in the case is scheduled for April 18, 2017, in Edson.
This isn’t the first time the Coal Valley Mine has been investigated by the AER. In 2014, it found significant deficiencies that allow water to flow from a coal pit.
READ MORE: Company says it’s trying to fix environmental problems at Alberta coal mine
Comments