West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s coal companies owe millions in environmental fines to the federal government, according to ProPublica, which cited documents filed in federal court Thursday. The federal government has levied $3.2 million in fines from mining companies owned by Justice, a billionaire. The companies reportedly failed to renew their water pollution permits, meaning they were not authorized to discharge hazardous materials at three mines in Alabama and Tennessee. The lapse means that, under the terms of a 2016 settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency, the companies are on the hook for any fines, dubbed stipulated penalties. Justice’s companies have already paid out $2.9 million in stipulated penalties under the settlement, another piece of what federal lawyers called a “long history” of failure to follow the terms.
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