Environment News Service: One of the largest coal mining companies in the United States has agreed to pay a $6.5 million civil penalty to settle violations of the Clean Water Act, federal and West Virginia agencies have announced. The consent decree signed by Patriot Coal includes the third largest penalty ever paid in a federal Clean Water Act case for discharge permit violations. In a joint complaint filed with the consent decree, the United States and the State of West Virginia alleged that Patriot Coal …