West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice.
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The Department of Justice on Wednesday accused the son of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and 13 coal firms the younger Justice owns or operates of failing to pay tens of millions of dollars in penalties for environmental violations.
Jay Justice, the governor’s son, and people firms under his control, have been cited for over 130 violations and owe greater than $5 million in civil penalties, amongst other unpaid fees, the DOJ alleged in a civil criticism.
“Our environmental laws serve to guard communities against antagonistic effects of commercial activities including surface coal mining operations,” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said in a press release.
“Through this suit, the Justice Department seeks to deliver accountability for defendants’ repeated violations of the law and to recuperate the penalties they owe because of this of those violations,” Kim said.
The elder Justice, who’s reportedly the richest person in West Virginia, has been accused of meddling in his family business empire as governor even after vowing to separate himself from the businesses upon taking office. Those businesses have also faced accusations of not paying their bills.
The Republican governor last month launched his campaign for the Senate seat held by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. Justice’s campaign insists the governor doesn’t run the family firms.
Manchin, who could face an uphill battle to reelection within the deep-red state despite his incumbent status, has not said if he plans to run again in 2024.
A spokesman for Justice’s Senate campaign didn’t immediately reply to CNBC’s request for comment.
In a press release, National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Tate Mitchell said, “Joe Biden’s Department of Justice has gone totally rogue. Democrats weaponizing the federal government to attack the family of a Republican Senate candidate is a whole abuse of power.”
The DOJ’s 128-page criticism against Jay Justice and his firms covers violations stretching over five years, starting in 2018.
The lawsuit notes the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement issued greater than 100 violations and 50 cessation orders to simply three of those firms between 2018 and 2022. The allegations include failing to keep up the face of a dam and ensure its “seismic stability,” failing to clear rubble from a haul road after a rock fall and failing to “properly eliminate non-coal waste,” amongst others, in line with the criticism.
Those violations “pose health and safety risks or threaten environmental harm,” the DOJ wrote.
A lawyer for the Justices’ businesses didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
The Wall Street Journal reported in March that Jim Justice was trying to sell the coal businesses.
