State Fines Mettiki Coal $150,000 For Air Pollution

BALTIMORE (AP) _ The Maryland Department of the Environment fines Mettiki Coal Company $150,000 Wednesday for repeatedly violating state air pollution laws. <br/><br/>Mettiki is owned by Alliance Resource

Wednesday, July 18th 2007, 3:45 pm

By: News On 6

BALTIMORE (AP) _ The Maryland Department of the Environment fines Mettiki Coal Company $150,000 Wednesday for repeatedly violating state air pollution laws.

Mettiki is owned by Alliance Resource Partners LP of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

A consent agreement filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court also requires Oakland-based Mettiki to conduct monthly inspections of air pollution control equipment at its coal-processing plant and meet optimal performance levels.

If the company fails any future, semiannual, sulfur dioxide test, it must install additional air pollution controls.

Mettiki violated state air pollution requirements when its thermal coal dryer emitted sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere in excess of permitted levels.