Author: Ken Ward Jr. & The Charleston Gazette-Mail

This Governor Still Guides His Billion-Dollar Business Empire, Even Though He Said He Wouldn’t

Jim Justice promised West Virginians he would focus on public service, and not his businesses, once he was elected. But he’s frequently used his power as governor to promote his own corporate entities while running the state. Last fall, Gov. Jim Justice called reporters to his office in the West […]

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Fracking Companies Lost on Trespassing, but a Court Just Gave Them a Different Win

A week after the West Virginia Supreme Court unanimously upheld the property rights of landowners battling one natural gas giant, the same court tossed out a challenge filed by another group of landowners against a different natural gas company. In the latest case, decided Monday, the court upheld a lower court ruling […]

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LindaStimmell

Century-Old West Virginia Leases Yield Paltry Gas Royalties. A Suit Could Cut Others’ Payouts to a Trickle, Too.

This article was produced in partnership with the Charleston Gazette-Mail, which is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network. Linda Stimmell gets upset every time EQT Corp.’s checks arrive in the mail. The energy giant extracts natural gas from beneath the Stimmell family’s old farm in Doddridge County, West Virginia, under […]

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‘Jobs Alliance’ Backed by Coal Giant Loses Bid to Stop West Virginia Natural Gas Plant

A group backed by Murray Energy has tried to block gas plants in West Virginia. The state Supreme Court rejected arguments against one plant, saying it will help the local economy. A group funded by coal giant Murray Energy has lost its latest court battle to block construction of new […]

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Another West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Declines to Step Aside in Another Natural Gas Case

A lawyer who represented new Supreme Court Justice Evan Jenkins is on the legal team representing the natural gas giant Antero. The opposing side asked Jenkins to recuse himself, but he said no. In another recusal controversy involving the West Virginia Supreme Court and the natural gas industry, a newly […]

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“Jobs Alliance,” Funded by Trump Backer, Tries to Block Gas Plants That Would Bring Jobs to West Virginia

Murray Energy, one of the nation’s largest coal producers, is paying for lawyers trying to block natural gas plants that would support a growing industry. This article was produced in partnership with the Charleston Gazette-Mail, which is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network. Three years ago, a group […]

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