It has taken Gov. Jim Justice little time to depict federal regulators as anti-coal miner agents of economic distress, but it has taken Justice’s coal companies much longer to agree to pay fines for failing to keep their miners safe. U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., a Justice opponent in the 2024 Senate race, has criticized the Justice coal companies for their business troubles and failure to provide uninterrupted prescription drug coverage. But Mooney also has drawn scrutiny for treatment of workers: his own congressional staff.
Electric companies are pushing back against the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rules to regulate greenhouse gases from power plants, arguing the Biden administration’s plan to slash carbon emissions relies on costly, unreliable technology that is not “legally or technically sound.”