Arch Resources Faces Coal Mine Operating Permit Claim Over VOCs

Environmental groups were timely in alleging Arch Resources Inc. and its subsidiary Mountain Coal Co. didn’t get an operating permit under the Clean Air Act for a mine in Colorado, a federal court in the state said in rejecting a magistrate judge’s recommendation to dismiss.

WildEarth Guardians, the Sierra Club, and two other groups say the West Elk coal mine is a major source of volatile organic compounds that contribute to ozone pollution, which mandates a Title V operating permit under the CAA. Their lawsuit was filed after Mountain Coal was authorized to expand into the Gunnison National Forest.

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