Kentucky coal firm held in contempt again over West Virginia mine pollution

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday issued a third contempt order against a Kentucky coal company for failing to submit adequate plans to clean up two polluted West Virginia mine sites.

U.S. District Judge Robert Chambers ordered Lexington Coal Company LLC to follow a previous directive to address selenium discharges and other pollution at the sites in Mingo County. The judge also fined the company $50,000 and ordered it to set up a $100,000 fund for use toward the costs of complying with federal environmental laws.

Chambers previously found the company in contempt in 2022 and 2023.

In his ruling, Chambers said the company has paid $169,500 in sanctions.

“Unfortunately, this significant sum of money has proven insufficient to coerce Lexington Coal into compliance,” Chambers wrote.

Environmental groups alleged in a 2019 lawsuit that the company was discharging pollutants illegally at its Low Gap Surface Mine No. 2 and No. 10 Mine.

James Kotcon, chairman of the Sierra Club’s West Virginia chapter, said the discharges have ruined ecosystems.

“The law requires companies to abide by a simple principle: You must clean up the mess you make,” Kotcon said in a statement. “Lexington Coal Company has made it clear that it has no respect for our courts and our laws.”