The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the coal empire of West Virginia Governor Jim Justice for $5 million in unpaid fines related to health, safety, and environmental violations. The civil action names 13 of the Justice family coal businesses located in West Virginia, Virginia, Delaware, and Tennessee, as well as the governor’s son, James Justice III.
According to the 128-page lawsuit, the defendants have been cited for over 130 violations and have failed to pay over $5 million in civil penalties assessed by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. The Justice family businesses also owe more than $190,000 in fees related to abandoned mine lands.
Governor Jim Justice, a billionaire Republican who recently announced his campaign for the Senate seat held by Senator Joe Manchin, has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
The civil penalties assessed by the Department of the Interior pertain to violations from 2018 to 2022, including issues such as dam stability, unlawful discharges, erosion control, and adherence to regional vegetation standards.
This is not the first time Justice’s coal empire has faced safety violations. In a ProPublica investigation in 2020, it was revealed that Justice’s companies have been involved in over 600 lawsuits in the past three decades, paying $128 million in judgments and settlements.
[Image: Coal mine]
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