EU court tells Poland to halt lignite mine on Czech border

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The European Union’s top court has ordered Poland to immediately stop extracting brown coal at the Turow mine on the border with the Czech Republic and Germany. The Czech Republic filed in March for an injunction, saying the mine drains away ground water from its inhabited areas. The decision by the EU’s Court of Justice is a temporary measure pending the court’s full ruling. Poland’s state PGE energy group, which runs the lignite mine, argues it needs to continue for years to allow Poland to phase out use of black coal, in line with the EU’s climate policies. Black coal accounts for over 48% of Poland’s energy production, compared with under 17% from lignite.