A coalition of environmental groups say they intend to sue a coal company owned by Gov. Jim Justice.
Three groups allege that A&G Coal Corp. is in violation of state and federal mine reclamation law at three mines in southwest Virginia.
The Sierra Club, Appalachian Voices and Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards gave Justice 60 days notice in a letter dated Tuesday of their intent to sue.
The groups say A&G is in violation of a 2014 agreement with the Virginia Department of Energy because it failed to conduct any meaningful remediation at the mines, all of them in Wise County, Virginia.
A&G, based in Roanoke, Virginia, is one of many companies owned by Justice.
In November, a Kentucky court ruled that Justice owed $3 million in penalties over incomplete reclamation work at three mine sites in eastern Kentucky.
An NPR investigation in 2016 found that Justice’s coal companies owed $15 million in taxes and safety penalties across six states.