Appalachian Fuels LLC Bankruptcy

Bailey Glasser represented the West Virginia Department of Environment Protection (DEP) in prosecuting its claims against Appalachian Fuels LLC for the costs of providing ongoing reclamation and water treatment at a former Appalachian Fuel mining site and for penalties. After a three-day bankruptcy trial in a Kentucky bankruptcy court, we received a judgment awarding the DEP more than $700,000 in penalties and nearly $2 million to address reclamation of an abandoned coal mine in the state. The decision gives regulators a strong hand in enforcing environmental laws against bankrupt coal companies.