CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Department of Natural Resources approved the first of three permits for a coal company's plan to discharge waste water from a mine into the Big Muddy River.

If approved by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Williamson Energy LLC's Pond Creek Mine pipeline would dump millions of gallons of mine wastewater into the river, the (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reported.

In early December, the state's natural resources department made a final decision on Williamson Energy's application through its Office of Mines and Minerals. It approved the developm...