Prairie Mines & Royalty fined $95,000

Prairie Mines & Royalty ULC will pay $ 109,250, including a $95,000 fine and a $14,250 provincial surcharge, after pleading guilty to one charge under the Coal Conservation Act.

In a statement of facts available on the AER’s Compliance Dashboard, Prairie Mines & Royalty ULC, previously known as Coal Valley Resources Inc, agreed that it conducted mining operations at its Edson area coal mine that had not been approved by the regulator and that it failed to report an incident as soon as was practicable.

The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) initially laid charges against Prairie Mines & Royalty ULC and Westmoreland Coal Company after a March 21, 2015, incident led to 3,300 m3 of material sliding from the mine’s high wall to the pit bottom which partially buried a bulldozer. No injuries occurred as a result of the incident.

The AER was not notified of the incident until two days later on March 23, 2015, when the mine’s engineering manager contacted the provincial reporting line.

The Alberta Energy Regulator ensures the safe, efficient, orderly, and environmentally responsible development of hydrocarbon resources over their entire life cycle. This includes allocating and conserving water resources, managing public lands, and protecting the environment while providing economic benefits for all Albertans.