West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice.
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The Division of Justice on Wednesday accused the son of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and 13 coal organizations the more youthful Justice owns or operates of failing to shell out millions of dollars in penalties for environmental violations.
Jay Justice, the governor’s son, and those people firms under his control have been cited for over 130 violations and owe a lot more than $5 million in civil penalties, between other unpaid expenses, the DOJ alleged in a civil grievance.
“Our environmental laws serve to guard communities in opposition to adverse results of industrial routines including surface area coal mining functions,” Assistant Attorney Standard Todd Kim of the DOJ’s Atmosphere and Organic Means Division mentioned in a push release.
“By way of this suit, the Justice Office seeks to produce accountability for defendants’ recurring violations of the law and to recover the penalties they owe as a consequence of individuals violations,” Kim mentioned.
The elder Justice, who is reportedly the richest particular person in West Virginia, has been accused of meddling in his spouse and children enterprise empire as governor even following vowing to different himself from the firms upon using business. Those people organizations have also faced accusations of not shelling out their costs.
The Republican governor previous month released his campaign for the Senate seat held by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. Justice’s campaign insists that the governor does not run the household corporations.
Manchin, who could face an uphill battle to reelection in the deep-red state regardless of his incumbent status, has not mentioned if he designs to operate for all over again in 2024.
A spokesman for Justice’s Senate marketing campaign did not instantly respond to CNBC’s ask for for comment.
In a statement, National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Tate Mitchell mentioned, “Joe Biden’s Department of Justice has absent thoroughly rogue. Democrats weaponizing the federal government to attack the loved ones of a Republican Senate candidate is a total abuse of electrical power.”
The DOJ’s 128-web site grievance in opposition to Jay Justice and his firms handles violations stretching more than 5 years, commencing in 2018.
The lawsuit notes that the Business office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement issued more than 100 violations and 50 cessation orders to just a few of those companies from 2018 to 2022. The allegations include things like failing to retain the deal with of a dam and guarantee its “seismic stability,” failing to distinct rubble from a haul street soon after a rock slide and failing to “thoroughly dispose of non-coal squander,” among other people, in accordance to the grievance.
All those violations “pose health and fitness and basic safety threats or threaten environmental hurt,” the DOJ wrote.
A lawyer for the Justices’ firms did not straight away answer to a ask for for remark.
The Wall Avenue Journal documented in March that Jim Justice was looking to promote the coal firms.