GOP Gov Companies Sued By Biden Admin

By
Christopher Price
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With more than a year before the 2024 elections, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin’s seat is not very safe.

Popular Republican Governor Jim Justice isn’t just surging in the polls he clearly has the momentum. Local Democratic officials on the ground don’t think Manchin can pull out another victory.

“I don’t think he can pull it out,” said Deirdre Purdy, chair of the Calhoun County Democratic Party. “My county has so few Democrats in it, I can’t even get a full committee together.”

The internal polling must be miserable because Democrats are pulling out all the stops.

From Politico:

The Justice Department filed suit Wednesday against the coal empire of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice for failing to pay more than $5 million in civil penalties assessed by the Department of the Interior.

The 128-page civil action, filed against 13 of the Justice family businesses and Justice’s adult son, comes as the governor, a Republican, launches a Senate bid against Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

The suit alleges that the businesses failed to pay fines for more than 100 violations of federal mining regulations that created “health and safety risks” or threatened “environmental harm.” Justice Department attorneys are seeking a court order to force the Justice companies to repay the fines, with interest.

In addition to the 13 mining companies, the suit identifies Jay Justice, the governor’s son, as the “owner, controller, and/or agent of each of the Justice Companies.”

“Our environmental laws serve to protect communities against adverse effects of industrial activities including surface coal mining operations,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Through this suit, the Justice Department seeks to deliver accountability for defendants’ repeated violations of the law and to recover the penalties they owe as a result of those violations.”

The notice also sets a deadline should the violations not be remedied the office will order an immediate cessation that would halt mining at the violating facilities.

The Republican party hammered the Biden Administraiton.

Former CNN contributor Chris Cillizza was aghast by a recent poll showing that the race so far isn’t close against an incumbent Senator who’s been around for decades.

 

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