A mining company owned by the family of West Virginia Senator Jim Justice was in federal court Thursday. Environmental groups allege the company is in violation of a consent decree, by missing deadlines for mine reclamation.
The Justice family owns at least 25 different mining companies in five states, according to testimony by Stephen Ball, Vice President to the Greenbrier Hotel Corporation. Ball said, due to a decline in the coal market, the Justice family cannot afford to pay for all the clean up on their mines until more revenue is generated. In particular, one of those companies, A&G Coal Company owns more liability in reclamation costs than assets, Ball said.
After years of delays in reclamation on three mines in Wise County, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, Appalachian Voices, and the Sierra Club sued A&G Coal Company, owned by Senator Justice’s son, Jay Justice. The parties signed a consent decree in 2023, which set firm deadlines for completing cleanup on the mines.
The conservation groups say A&G has failed to meet these deadlines. At Thursday’s hearing in Abingdon, testimony by Ball and another employee of the Justice companies admitted Jay Justice never told them to prioritize the agreement. Meanwhile, A&G is asking to modify the consent decree, to allow them to mine coal on these sites while reclamation is ongoing, which would help pay for the cleanup.
Mining companies owned by the Justice family have faced other legal and financial penalties in recent years by federal prosecutors, who say they have fallen behind on reclamation on other mines, breaking federal laws.
Judge James Jones adjourned the hearing without a ruling, or a timeline for when a decision may be issued.
