A lawsuit, filed this week in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, challenges a permit issued to Alpha Metallurgical Resources by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Sierra Club, Appalachian Voices, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and Coal River Mountain Watch allege that the permit violates the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
The groups want the court to revoke the permit for the Turkeyfoot Surface Mine in Raleigh County. They say the Corps should have prepared an Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate water quality impacts on three streams and their tributaries.
Alpha is based in Tennessee and has mine operations in West Virginia and Virginia. It produces metallurgical coal, the kind used to make steel.
The complaint names Col. Jayson Putnam, district engineer for the Corps Huntington District, and William Graham, commander and chief of engineers for the Corps.