Tag: Federal Court

Justice-Owned Company Tries In Court To Stop Seizure Of Helicopter

On Thursday, the court instructed the marshals to take possession of the helicopter, which is housed at the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport.

A coal company owned by Gov. Jim Justice is trying to stop an offshore company controlled by a Russian oligarch from seizing a helicopter it owns.

Bluestone Resources filed a stay in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia on Friday. It seeks to prevent the U.S. Marshals from seizing a 2009 Bell helicopter.

On Thursday, the court instructed the marshals to take possession of the helicopter, which is housed at the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport.

Caroleng Investments, based in the British Virgin Islands, sought the helicopter to recover part of the more than $10 million Bluestone owes it.

In Friday’s filing, however, Bluestone’s attorneys say the helicopter is subject to two security interests that are superior to Caroleng’s lien and secure indebtedness in excess of the helicopter’s value. Those creditors, 1st Source Bank, based in South Bend, Indiana, and Greensill Capital, based in the United Kingdom, would be paid first, not Caroleng, the filing says.

The filing also identifies Caroleng as a holding company controlled by a Russian mining and metals oligarch named Igor Zyuzin.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting reached out to the governor’s office for comment.

Court Orders Marshals To Seize Helicopter From Justice-Owned Company

The court directed marshals to take possession of a 2009 Bell helicopter belonging to Bluestone Resources from the Roanoke-Blacksburg regional airport.

A federal court in Virginia has ordered U.S. Marshals to seize a helicopter from a coal company owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice.

In a supplemental writ of execution filed Thursday in Abingdon, Virginia, the court directed marshals to take possession of a 2009 Bell helicopter belonging to Bluestone Resources from the Roanoke-Blacksburg regional airport.

The order says the helicopter must be turned over within 90 days.

The seizure is part of a lawsuit filed against Bluestone by Caroleng Investments, an offshore company based in the British Virgin Islands.

In 2021, a federal court in Delaware ruled that Bluestone owed Caroleng more than $10 million, plus interest. None of that amount has been paid, the Virginia court said.

Bluestone, based in Roanoke, is one of the numerous companies Justice lists on his annual financial disclosure to the West Virginia Ethics Commission.

The $10 million judgment was not listed on Justice’s more recent U.S. Senate candidate disclosure form. The governor is running for the Senate next year.

Mountain Valley Pipeline Builder, Feds Agree To Fix Pipe Corrosion

Equitrans must test for and correct any deficiencies in uninstalled sections of the pipe that could lead to corrosion.

Federal regulators have signed off on a plan to address safety concerns over the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has issued a consent order to Equitrans Midstream, the builder of the 303-mile natural gas pipeline in West Virginia and Virginia.

Equitrans must test for and correct any deficiencies in uninstalled sections of the pipe that could lead to corrosion.

Environmental and community groups had raised the alarm about sections of pipe that had been exposed to the elements for several years while the project was tied up in court.

Sun exposure can degrade the protective coating that prevents the pipe from corroding. As part of the agreement, the coating will be reapplied when necessary.

Over the summer, Congress mandated the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and a federal appeals court dismissed the remaining lawsuits against it.

In a statement, Diana Charletta, Equitrans’ president and operating chief, said the agreement would not have a material impact on the project’s cost or schedule.

“The terms of this consent agreement are directly aligned with Equitrans’ core values, which include continually striving to go above and beyond regulatory compliance requirements,” she said. “Importantly, the agreement outlines actions that are designed to reassure the public of MVP’s integrity and demonstrates our commitment to safe, responsible construction and in-service operations.”

The $6.6 billion project is scheduled for completion by year’s end.

Jessica Sims, Virginia field coordinator for Appalachian Voices, one of the groups that challenged the safety of the uninstalled pipe, said the agreement still fell short.

“We remain concerned about the degraded pipe that developers rushed to bury before today’s agreement, and we are disappointed that the requests from those directly impacted by this destructive, unnecessary project were not addressed,” she said. “Impacted residents asked for more community engagement, determination of a new impact radius and evacuation zone, and increased protection from geohazards.”

Offshore Firm Seeks Debt Repayment From Justice-Owned Company

Caroleng Investments, based in the British Virgin Islands, went to the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Virginia to seek repayment of more than $10 million, plus interest, from Bluestone Resources.

A company owned by Gov. Jim Justice owes an offshore investment firm millions and it’s seeking to collect payment.

Caroleng Investments, based in the British Virgin Islands, went to the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Virginia to seek repayment of more than $10 million, plus interest, from Bluestone Resources.

Bluestone, based in Roanoke, Virginia, is one of the numerous companies listed on the disclosure form Justice files annually to the West Virginia Ethics Commission, and earlier this week appeared on his U.S. Senate candidate disclosure.

According to a filing this week, the offshore investment firm asked the court to authorize U.S. Marshals to seize Bluestone property to settle the debt, including a helicopter believed to be stored at the Roanoke Regional Airport.

The $10 million liability is not listed on Justice’s Senate disclosure form.

The governor owes other debts to states and the federal government.

In June 2021, the U.S. District Court in Delaware ordered Bluestone to pay the $10 million to Caroleng Investments. It also says that Bluestone owes 9 percent per year interest starting from May 13, 2020.

According to the filing this week in Virginia, Bluestone has not paid any of that amount. 

Justice-Owned Bluestone Coke Sued Over Water Pollution In Alabama

The complaint alleges that Bluestone is in violation of the Clean Water Act by discharging pollutants into a stream that exceed levels allowed by its permit.

Environmental and community groups have sued a company owned by the family of Gov. Jim Justice in federal court in Birmingham, Alabama.

Black Warrior Riverkeeper and a local group called GASP filed the complaint against Bluestone Coke in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

The complaint alleges that Bluestone is in violation of the Clean Water Act by discharging pollutants into a stream that exceed levels allowed by its permit.

It also alleges that Bluestone has been discharging pollutants not allowed by its permit such as barium, strontium, E.coli, semi-volatile organic compounds and volatile organic compounds.

It further alleges that the company deposited coal, coke, slag and sediment into a tributary of Five Mile Creek, an unpermitted fill into Waters of the United States.

The Bluestone Coke plant in North Birmingham is currently not in operation.

In December, Bluestone reached a consent decree with the Jefferson County, Alabama, Department of Health to pay a $925,000 penalty, the largest in the agency’s history.

In May, Black Warrior Riverkeeper reported that Bluestone had failed to pay $283,000 of the penalty and would owe an additional $1,000 for every day the payment was late.

Bluestone Coke is one of the numerous companies listed on Justice’s annual financial disclosure to the West Virginia Ethics Commission.

Justice, who is not named in the complaint, is a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2024.

Justice faces other lawsuits, including one brought by the U.S. Justice Department over unpaid fines and penalties.

Justice Company Could Face Clean Water Act Lawsuit

Bluestone Coke is one of the numerous companies owned by the family of Justice, who’s running for the U.S. Senate.

An environmental group has threatened to sue a company owned by the family of Gov. Jim Justice over water pollution violations.

The Southern Environmental Law Center has told Bluestone Coke it will bring a lawsuit in federal court under the Clean Water Act unless the company cleans up pollution from its plant in North Birmingham, Alabama.

Bluestone Coke is one of the numerous companies owned by the family of Justice, who’s running for the U.S. Senate. 

The plant is not currently in operation. Late last year, Bluestone Coke agreed to a $925,000 settlement with the local health department over air pollution from the plant.

The Southern Environmental Law Center said the company still owes $283,000 to the health department.

The U.S. Justice Department recently took action against the Justice companies for failing to pay more than $5 million in federal civil penalties.

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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