Illinois is the nation’s fourth largest coal producing state, and the Sugar Camp Mine (MC#1 Mine and Viking Mine), located in Southern Illinois, is one of the largest coal mines in the state and nation. The mine owner has a long history of health, safety, and environmental violations, as outlined in the timeline below. The mine owner, Foresight Energy, also owns the Pond Creek (Mach#1) Mine in Williamson County, Deer Run Mine in Montgomery County, and Shay #1 Mine in Macoupin County.
Prairie Rivers Network has two active lawsuits against the mine: One related to the release of PFAS (“forever chemicals”) into local waterways, and one related to efforts to halt a gargantuan expansion involving TVA-owned coal. Learn more about the mine, its history, and our lawsuits below.
Sugar Camp Mine General Information
- Location: Sugar Camp Mine (MC#1 Mine and Viking Mine) is an underground mine located in Franklin and Hamilton Counties in Southern Illinois. The main surface facilities are located along North Thompsonville Road, northeast of Benton.
- Mining method: The mine is operated with the fully mechanized longwall method that causes planned subsidence.
- Ownership: The mine is owned by Foresight Energy. Foresight is owned by American Consolidated Natural Resources, formerly Murray Energy.
- Coal production: In 2024 the mine produced 6,216,015 tons of coal, a decrease from its peak of 14,460,951 tons in 2018. At its peak the mine was the sixth largest coal mine in the US and it was producing more than twice as much coal as any other active mine in Illinois. As of December 2024 the mine had produced 116,196,145 tons of coal, more than any other currently active mine in Illinois (source).
- Coal reserves: Foresight Energy reported 1.264 billion tons of coal reserves as of January 1, 2025.
- Mine expansion with TVA-owned coal: The mine is currently in the process of expanding its longwall mining operation, by approximately 22,414 acres (Significant Boundary Revision (SBR) No. 8 Mine Area). Coal owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) underlies approximately 21,868 acres of the proposed SBR No. 8 Mine Area (source). The TVA owned coal is an estimated 253 million tons that would be mined over the period of 2025 through 2050, with an average annual production of 9.73 million tons. This coal would be mined in addition to other reserves, and in total it was estimated in the 2025 Environmental Impact Statement that the mine could mine approximately 678 million tons of processed coal between 2025 and 2050, and an additional 175 million tons between 2051 to 2068 for a total of approximately 852 million tons. This means that the mine would produce an average of 27 million tons of coal per year between 2025 and 2050. In 2024 Illinois’ entire annual production was 35.5million tons.
Key Dates Related to the Sugar Camp Mine
2008
- Sugar Camp Mine received Permit No. 382 from Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Mines and Minerals (IDNR-OMM) for underground longwall mining operations and the associated surface facilities (source). Since this time, the mine has received multiple permits from IDNR-OMM to expand mining operations.
2010
- Sugar Camp Mine begins mining coal (source).
2013
- November 14: MSHA Violation related to a fatal “fall of face” accident.
2014
- January: IEPA Violation Notice for constructing underground injection wells without a permit (source).
- May 14: MSHA Violation related to a fatal machinery accident.
2015
- December 8: MSHA Violation related to a fatal machinery accident.
2019
- March: IEPA Violation Notice for a leaking underground pipeline (source).
2021
- August 13: Underground fire occurs at the mine and Sugar Camp injects PFAS-laden firefighting foam into the mine as part of its efforts to control the fire.
- IEPA Violation Notice for the unpermitted release of PFAS contaminated wastewater into nearby surface waters (source).
- MSHA Violations related to the operator continuing to operate the mine during the August 2021 fire without evacuating miners and failing to notify MSHA of the fire.
2022
- January 7: Attorney General Raoul files a lawsuit against the mine for violations related to the discharge of PFAS into waters near the mine.
- April 4: Sierra Club and PRN file a Motion to Intervene and join the AG’s suit related to the PFAS release.
- July: According to reports released by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IMEA) on Wednesday, a pipeline owned by the mine ruptured and spilled 20,000 gallons of mine wastewater.
- Three different IEPA Violation Notices are issued, for unpermitted discharge of mine wastewater (related to the pipeline spill), land subsidence causing high-chloride water seeps, and unpermitted construction of water evaporators (source).
2023
- June: The mine requests that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) authorize a ~22,000 acre proposed expansion known as the Significant Boundary Revision No. 8 Mine Area. This is required because TVA owns most of the coal that the mine seeks to extract.
2024
- August 23: TVA issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
- Oct 15: Public comment period ends for the Draft EIS. PRN and Sierra Club Illinois submit comments on the Draft EIS.
2025
- January 10: TVA issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
- March 18: TVA signed the Record of Decision documenting the decision to expand the lease with Sugar Camp Mining, LLC under Significant Boundary Revision #8.
- August: former Sugar Camp Energy official pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the MSHA in relation to the response to the 2021 fire (source).
- December 18: PRN and Sierra Club Illinois filed a lawsuit against the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to block the expansion of mining (source)
What’s Going On with the PFAS Pollution at the Sugar Camp Mine?
In 2021, operators at the Sugar Camp Mine dumped 46,000 gallons of fire fighting foam, including at least 660 gallons of concentrated PFAS-based foam, deep into the underground mine in an unsuccessful attempt to extinguish a fire. Much of the firefighting foam used at the mine was highly toxic, and some contained PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These PFAS substances are highly persistent “forever chemicals” that, when ingested, can lead to serious health problems including cancer and organ and immune system damage. Studies have linked prolonged PFAS exposure to cancer, thyroid disorders, decreased fertility, and elevated cholesterol. Samples collected by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency from nearby surface water locations found concentrations of PFAS higher than EPA health advisory levels, Illinois drinking water health advisory levels, and Illinois draft groundwater standards.
In April 2022, Prairie Rivers Network and Sierra Club Illinois filed a Motion to Intervene and join the Illinois Attorney General’s Office in their lawsuit against Sugar Camp Energy, LLC related to the PFAS pollution. Read more about the PFAS lawsuit.
What’s Going On with the Tennessee Valley and the Sugar Camp Mine?
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a public power provider owned by the federal government that provides power to customers in the southeastern US, and it owns coal reserves underlying approximately 64,689 acres of land in Franklin, Hamilton, and Jefferson counties, Illinois. Under a recent decision, TVA plans to execute a lease agreement with Sugar Camp on ~21,000 acres of TVA-owned coal, and TVA also plans to divest (sell) all 64,689 acres of its Southern Illinois coal reserves. TVA used a January 2025 Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate the environmental effects of the proposed expansion of mining operations by Sugar Camp. In the EIS, TVA outlined that burning coal is extremely harmful to the climate and other elements of the environment, but TVA simultaneously decided that it should allow Sugar Camp Energy to mine the coal associated with their current mine expansion in Southern Illinois. TVA also concluded that they should sell the entirety of their coal reserves in Southern Illinois.
On December 18, 2025, Prairie Rivers Network and the Sierra Club Illinois filed a legal complaint against the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for their recent decision regarding their coal reserves in Southern Illinois. Read more about the TVA lawsuit here.
News Stories about the Sugar Camp Mine
2018
- March 21: Illinois mine expanding despite safety, environmental concerns
- March 20: Why King Coal wants to dig up family farms in Illinois: it’s a sweet deal
- March 19: Coal mine expansion could swallow family farms in southern Illinois
2021
- October 22, The Southern Illinoisan: Fire and toxic foam ravage Sugar Camp coal plant in Franklin County
- October 1, Chicago Tribune: Toxic foam dumped into southern Illinois coal mine in unsuccessful attempt to extinguish underground fire
2022
- December 16, The Southern Illinoisan: Farmers meet with representatives of the Attorney General, IEPA to discuss damages caused by Sugar Camp Mine
- June 17, WPSD Local 6: Company faces nearly $1.2 million in federal penalties for failing to evacuate miners after fire broke out in southern Illinois coal mine
- June 3, Coal Age: MSHA Finds Illinois Mine Operator Tried to Conceal Underground Fire
- January 8, Chicago Tribune: State sues company for dumping toxic chemicals into southern Illinois coal mine in unsuccessful attempt to extinguish underground fire
2025
- August 29, The Southern Illinoisan: Manager pleads guilty in handling of former Sugar Camp mine fire
