DOJ seeks $3.2M from West Virginia governor’s coal companies, including in KY

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking $3.2 million in penalties from Appalachian coal mines owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice.

Attorneys for the government say in a new motion filed Thursday that the companies violated a settlement meant to prevent pollution.

The U.S. and several states settled and signed a consent decree with the companies in late 2016 to resolve allegations of Clean Water Act violations.

The violations involved Justice-owned mines in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.