Canadian mining company Teck Coal has been assessed $60 million in fines for contaminating waterways in southern British Columbia.
“It’s the largest-ever penalty assessed under the Fisheries Act,” federal prosecutor Alexander Clarkson told court in Fernie, B.C., on Friday.
Teck Coal, a subsidiary of Teck Resources, pleaded guilty to two charges of releasing selenium and calcite into the Elk and Fording Rivers between January and December 2012. Clarkson said the fines break down to $80,000 per offence per day.
Selenium is a contaminant common to coal mines. Essential to life in small doses, it can cause fish deformities and reproductive failures in large amounts.
Source: Teck Coal given record-breaking $60M fine for contaminating BC rivers | Globalnews.ca