Coal company agrees to fix environmental violations, resume operations in Perry County

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Herald-Leader)- A coal company in Kentucky has agreed to pay more than $200,000 in penalties and fix environmental violations.

The citations charged a range of violations, including not reclaiming land as required and allowing polluted water to drain from mines.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the company had been blocked from operating on the permit because of citations that had been pending more than two years in some cases.

It clears the way for production as American Resources Corp. says it has begun shipping coal from the Perry County mine under a subsidiary called Perry County Resources.

The company said in the release it plans to ultimately have more than 170 workers when it builds production to a target of 1 million to 1.5 million tons of coal a year.

The mine had 13 employees at the end of 2020, according to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, and last produced more than 1 million tons of coal in 2011.