Prairie Mines & Royalty ULC and Westmoreland Coal Company face charges

The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) has laid three charges against Prairie Mines & Royalty ULC and Westmoreland Coal Company for modifying their mining plan without AER approval and for failing to notify the AER of an incident as soon as practicable.

The AER has laid charges under the Coal Conservation Act: two counts for failing to comply with a term or condition of the company’s coal mine licence (which includes the failure to notify the board of an incident as soon as practicable) and one count for altering the operating program without obtaining approval from the AER for the amendment.

Each company faces a maximum penalty of $500 000 per charge. Prairie Mines & Royalty ULC was previously known as Coal Valley Resources Inc.

First appearance is scheduled for April 18, 2017, in Edson Provincial Court.