Charleston, WV (WOAY) – A federal appeals panel has affirmed $2.5 million in penalties against Appalachian coal mines owned by Governor Jim Justice over claims they violated a settlement meant to prevent pollution.
A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, made the ruling Tuesday in an appeal by Southern Coal and Premium Coal of a lower court’s decision.
The ruling also requires the companies to complete remediation work at mine sites. The U.S. and several states signed a consent decree with the companies in 2016.
The decree resolved allegations of Clean Water Act violations from Justice-owned mines in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
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