West Virginia suspends permit for coal mine tied to Justice family

By Hannah Northey | 01/17/2025 04:41 PM EST

State regulators pulled a permit for a surface mine tied to West Virginia Republican Sen. Jim Justice’s family, citing a string of ongoing, unaddressed violations.

Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) arrives for a confirmation hearing.

Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) arrives for the confirmation hearing of Doug Burgum, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Interior secretary, on Capitol Hill, on Jan. 16, 2025. Francis Chung/POLITICO

A coal mine in West Virginia owned by Republican Sen. Jim Justice’s family was recently shuttered for a string of environmental violations, reflecting the ongoing regulatory and financial challenges plaguing the former governor.

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection pulled a mining permit for Bluestone Coal’s Poca surface mine in McDowell County, West Virginia. The mine is owned by Justice’s family, confirmed Terry Fletcher, a spokesperson for the department.

“The permit and Bluestone’s right to mine are hereby immediately suspended,” Jonathan Rorrer, director of the agency’s Division of Mining and Reclamation, wrote in a Jan. 8 suspension order.

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Calls to Bluestone Coal were not immediately returned, and the senator’s office declined to comment on business matters.

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