META, Ky. — Mine regulators have not yet determined if conditions at a Pike County, Kentucky surface mine owned by Jim Justice, a coal producer and Democratic candidate for governor in West Virginia, directly contributed to a mudslide and flooding after heavy rain last Thursday.
Six homes in the Meta community near the Bent Mountain surface mining site, part of Kentucky Fuel Corporation, were damaged and reports indicated the slide also put mud onto other properties and affected the county road.
Courtney Skaggs, acting director of the Division of Mine Reclamation and Enforcement within the Kentucky Department of Natural Resources, said an immediate determination of whether mine conditions or weather caused the mudslide and flooding could not be made.
“Right now, we’re still gathering information and continuing our investigation,” Skaggs said.
“I hope in the coming weeks to have a clearer picture of what exactly transpired out there. I think it may be a combination of the two, but we still have facts to gather and an investigation to complete.”
After the slide, Kentucky Fuel was issued a notice of noncompliance with an imminent danger cessation order — designed to stop work — attached to it.
Inspectors also issued six citations for problems with sediment control, off-permit disturbance, failure to notify, failure to pass water quality, diversion ditch failure and existing road.
Kentucky Fuel has the option of contesting the citations which could potentially lead to fines once finalized.
For now, “We’re focused on ensuring that the citizens of the community of Meta are safe, that their roads are passable and that their property damages are fixed. We’re going to be on the ground involved every single day until this is resolved and everyone is taken care of,” Skaggs pledged.
There has been no comment from the Justice campaign.
Kentucky Fuel Corporation, one of the many companies Justice owns, issued the following statement on Monday:
As residents of Pike County near the town of Meta continue to recover from torrential rains and flooding that took place on Thursday June 2, 2016, Kentucky Fuel Corporation is assisting local residents located on Bear, Bent Branch and Open Fork Roads who have been impacted by the rain and flooding.
The company has been providing workers from its nearby operations to assist property owners with the cleanup following the flooding. Additionally, the company is providing large equipment to assist with the clean up and is offering to provide temporary housing to those residents on Bear, Bent Branch and Open Fork Roads that may have been displaced due to these events.
Kentucky Fuel Corporation wants to again demonstrate its commitment to the local community by providing some relief to those who have been impacted. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those that were impacted by these tremendous storms and flooding.
Skaggs confirmed Kentucky Fuel’s ongoing involvement in cleanup work in Meta.
“Kentucky Fuel has been absolutely out there since the beginning,” she said on Wednesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
“They’ve been very cooperative. They’ve offered assistance to the residents. They’ve put people up in hotels. They’re on the ground now as we speak, cleaning up yards, cleaning out houses and they have an insurance adjuster in the community evaluating damages and they are ready to fix whatever’s necessary.”