A coal company owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s family settled a lawsuit Thursday with three environmental groups over concern that the company did not reclaim old mine sites in southwestern Virginia.
The coal company, A&G Coal Corp., is required to reclaim approximately 2,400 acres at three mining sites in Wise County, Virginia by 2025, according to the Associated Press (AP). Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, Appalachian Voices and the Sierra Club brought the lawsuit against the company.
A coal company owned by the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has agreed to reclaim three large surface mines in southwestern Virginia to settle a lawsuit with environmental groups. https://t.co/syoejhhdVM
— AP Climate (@AP_Climate) January 22, 2023
Judy Gayer is the conservation and legal chair for the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club.
“It’s critically important that every coal mine be fully reclaimed by the operator in order to ensure that local communities are not burdened with ongoing negative environmental impacts,” Gayer said, according to the AP. “We’re pleased that today’s settlement will accelerate reclamation of these three sites and benefit communities in Wise County.”
Mine reclamation is the process of reversing the impact of mining by creating an area that benefits the environment. (RELATED: West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice Is ‘Seriously Considering’ Run Against Sen. Joe Manchin)
The groups conceded that A&G Coal originally reclaimed approximately 900 out of 3,300 acres that were mined, reported the AP. This reclamation occurred after a 2014 consent agreement between A&G Coal and Virginia Energy.
Justice’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller for comment.