English
French
German
Italian
Russian
Spanish
US sues West Virginia governor’s coal empire over unpaid mining penalties
US sues West Virginia governor’s coal empire over unpaid mining penalties By Reuters
Breaking News
‘;
Published May 31, 2023 11:32AM ET
Updated May 31, 2023 12:11PM ET
(C) Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Jim Justice II, Governor of West Virginia, speaks during a roundtable discussion with U.S. first lady Melania Trump, local and state leaders at Cabell-Huntington Health Department in Huntington, W.V., U.S., July 8, 2019. REUTERS/Al Drago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department has sued West Virginia Governor Jim Justice’s coal empire over allegations it failed to pay around $7.6 million in environmental fines from mining violations.
The civil action, filed on Tuesday against the governor’s son and 13 coal companies he owns or operates, seeks to hold them “accountable for jeopardizing the health and safety of the public and our environment,” the department said in a statement on Wednesday.
The fines follow an assessment by the Interior Department’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, according to the statement. The companies had violated federal law more than 130 times from 2018 to 2022, it said.
Justice declined to comment on the lawsuit during a press conference, saying the coal companies were run by his son, Jay. But he said his son and the companies “will always fulfill obligations, every one.”
Reuters could not immediately reach the governor’s son for comment.
Justice, a coal-mining billionaire, is running for the 2024 Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin. He has served as West Virginia governor since 2017.
US sues West Virginia governor’s coal empire over unpaid mining penalties
Terms And Conditions
Privacy Policy
Risk Warning
Do not sell my personal information
(C) 2007-2023 Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
