WV Governor Jim Justice's Family Coal Companies Owe $4.2 Million In Fines For Mine Safety Violations
An Ohio Valley ReSource analysis of federal mine safety data shows that the companies belonging to the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice owe $4.3 million in delinquent debt for mine safety violations. That is far more than the companies owed when Justice ran for governor in 2016, when he pledged to make good on such debts. The Justice companies still have the highest delinquent mine safety debt in the U.S. mining industry.
Unpaid mine safety violations have been a chronic problem for the Justice companies. In 2014, an NPR investigation showed Justice companies owed just under $2 million in delinquent federal mine safety penalties, which are levied by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, or MSHA.
But the ReSource analysis of 2018 MSHA data shows that more than four years after that initial investigation, the Justice companies — now mainly controlled by the governor’s children, James Justice III and Jillean Justice — have not significantly paid down their debt. Instead, as of the end of 2018, the Justice companies’ debt had ballooned to $4.3 million.
That’s according to MSHA data which was obtained by NPR and correspondent Howard Berkes using a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The data set, known as “Debt By Age,” provides a snapshot of delinquent mine safety fines, and the history of each penalty, as of December 5, 2018, and includes interest, late fees, and the original fine amount. The ReSource analyzed that data and other information available on MSHA’s website and found the Justice family companies had a mix of new delinquent penalties and mounting interest on old debts.
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https://ohiovalleyresource.org/2019/04/05/mine-safety-debt-for-wv-gov-justices-family-companies-grows-to-4m/
