CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has lost another costly court ruling over his coal companies’ environmental violations.
A federal judge in Virginia ruled Southern Coal Corp. and two dozen other Justice-owned companies must pay $2.5 million in penalties and clean up mining sites in Tennessee.
Justice has long battled taxes, fines and court penalties in several states.
A joint filing by the U.S. Department of Justice, Alabama and Tennessee said the company violated a 2016 agreement for environment clean up, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported.
The agreement, known as a consent decree, required Southern Coal Corp. and two-dozen other companies to pay a $900,000 civil penalty to resolve more than 23,000 water pollution violations.
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