Willow Creek mine

Willow Creek mine is located 45 kilometres west of the town of Chetwynd, in northeast British Columbia. The mine is an open cut operation which produces approximately 500,000 tonnes a year of hard coking coal and low-volatile PCI coal for steelmaking. The company has applied to expand the mine to produce 1.7 million tonnes a year.

The mine is operated by Western Coal, a subsidiary of Walter Energy, a Vancouver, Canada headquartered company.

In March 2013 Walter Energy announced that "the Company currently expects to idle its Willow Creek operation within the next several weeks and anticipates recording a one-time cash charge of approximately $7.5 million in connection therewith. The Company currently expects that full year 2013 metallurgical coal production will be in line with production levels in 2012."

Pollution
In the same regulatory filing Walter Energy announced reported that:


 * "On March 5, 2013, the Company received a complaint from British Columbia’s Environmental Crown Counsel seeking a total monetary penalty of CAD $100,000 for alleged violations of the federal Fisheries Act associated with an April 2011 release of sediment and debris into Willow Creek from the forest service road leading to the Willow Creek mine. The matter is scheduled for a March 28, 2013 appearance in Chetwynd Provincial Court. To date, the Company has incurred significant costs in taking corrective actions in response to the 2011 release and is continuing to cooperate with regulatory authorities. The Company intends to negotiate with authorities in pursuit of a mutually agreeable settlement."

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