Massey Energy Co. pays $20M for polluting

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Massey Energy Co. has agreed to pay $20 million for polluting streams in Kentucky and West Virginia, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

The department said the company will also pay $10 million to prevent future problems after it polluted streams around its coal mines, The Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader reported Thursday.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accused Massey in May 2007 of violating the Clean Water Act more than 4,500 times between 2000 and 2006. The agency said Massey dumped excess amounts of metals, sediment and acid mine drainage into hundreds of bodies of water in Kentucky and West Virginia.

"The measures required by this settlement represent a significant step forward in the way that mining facilities currently address Clean Water Act compliance," Ronald Tenpas, an assistant attorney general, said in a statement.

Massey officials said the settlement "enhances Massey's environmental protection efforts" while skirting costs of litigation.

"We believe this agreement will benefit the environment as well as our shareholders," said Baxter Phillips Jr., the company executive vice president and chief administrative officer.