CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has issued a failure to abate cessation order for the K.D. No. 2 surface mine adjacent to Kanawha State Forest following a series of violations at the site in the 13 months since the permit was issued. The agency also entered mine operator Revelation Energy and permit holder Keystone Development into the national Applicant Violator System this week. That blocks both companies from being granted any new permits anywhere in the country.
Since May 5, 2014, when the permit for the operation was issued, the DEP has cited the operation more than 20 times for violations that include failure to properly construct and maintain sediment control structures, failure to protect off-site areas from slides, exceeding blasting limits, failure to meet monitoring, sampling and reporting requirements and exceeding water quality discharge limits.
“Our mining program has been very diligent about monitoring this site. Because of the close proximity to the forest, we have gone above and beyond the normal regulatory requirements for both permitting and inspection enforcement,” said DEP Cabinet Secretary Randy Huffman.
To get the cessation order lifted and to be removed from the Applicant Violator System, Revelation would need to submit and get DEP approval of a plan to fully abate the violations and to reclaim the site.