September 13, 2025 - Coal has been king in West Virginia for over a century, but its reign often comes with a bitterness for those who physically work in the industry.

Close to 800 people in mining related jobs have been laid-off in the mountain state this year, with the fear of maintaining their livelihoods in the hearts of many miners.

“It’s plain terrible,” said Senator Jim Justice in an exclusive interview with WVVA.

The majority of these layoffs are coming on the metallurgical coal side.

Justice says his efforts in helping coal be named as a critical mineral is a step in breathing life into the industry.

“It’s going to be able to provide some tax credits. And those tax credits are saleable tax credits,” said Justice. “And so they can amount to a little bit of money that basically could very well keep some people in a job.”

But the senator concedes that that alone will not save the dwindling workforce in West Virginia.

“They’re not enough, they’re nowhere close to enough,” said Justice. “We have had a total meltdown in the metallurgical coal business of pricing.”

Justice says metallurgical coal was priced at $555 a metric ton FOB Port two and a half year ago. Today that same ton is $175.

“By the time you translate it back to what the operation is getting in the railroad car it’s often less than $100 a ton,” said Justice. “It is an absolute meltdown of price and companies cannot absorb that.”

As we have seen, what companies can’t absorb they cut in excess of workforce.

“Miners are sitting at home wondering, ‘What in the world is going on?’ And we best better step up and help,” said Justice. “I really believe we’ve gotta step-up and do more.”

The Justice Family owns several coal businesses including Bluestone Coal, Justice Alabama Coal, JCJ Coal, Southern Coal and A&G Coal.