British Columbia’s Environmental Appeal Board has upheld an C$800,000 fine against Peace River Coal Inc. for repeated violations of its environmental permit at the shuttered Trend Roman mine near Tumbler Ridge. The penalty, first imposed in 2021, remains the largest ever issued under BC’s Environmental Management Act. Regulators found the company exceeded selenium discharge limits by up to 350% between 2016 and 2019 and failed to meet reporting requirements and treatment facility obligations. The mine, suspended in 2014 and sold to Conuma Resources in February 2025, is part of a broader pattern of compliance issues in the province’s coal sector, with Conuma itself fined last year for more than 400 violations at its Brule site.
