Chestnut Land seeks mining permit near Squire, public comment opens

Public comments are open on Chestnut Land Holdings LLC’s request to renew its mining permit near Squire, a proposal that would keep deep mines, a haul road, a refuse disposal facility and a preparation plant operating about 1.5 miles northwest of the community in McDowell County’s Big Creek District.

The application seeks reissuance of Article 11 WV/NPDES Permit No. WV0091952. Under the draft permit, treated stormwater from the site would flow into Jacobs Fork, unnamed tributaries of Jacobs Fork, Dry Fork and the Dry Fork of the Tug Fork River, placing nearby streams squarely in the path of state oversight. The notice also asks for information on private surface-water intakes used for human consumption downstream, a clear sign that drinking-water concerns are part of the review.

Written comments or requests for a public hearing are due by June 5, 2026, or within 30 days of publication. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection says the application, draft permit, fact sheet and supporting materials are available for public inspection, giving downstream landowners, residents and community groups a chance to examine the project before the state decides whether to renew the permit.

The stakes are familiar in a county where water and land use often collide with coal jobs. Chestnut Land’s notice covers work tied to reprocessing an abandoned refuse disposal site and operating in the Pocahontas 3 and 5 seam mineral bed, the kind of industrial activity that can mean payrolls and local spending, but also more hauling, runoff management and long-term monitoring in a narrow valley setting.

That local geography matters because the Tug Fork watershed covers all of McDowell County. The state’s watershed assessment says railroads opened the area for extensive coal mining in the early 20th century, and inadequate sewage disposal has added to water-quality degradation over time. In a county shaped by steep slopes, flood-prone hollows and streamside development, even treated discharge can become a neighborhood issue fast.

The public notice lands against a longer backdrop of scrutiny around Chestnut Land Holdings and other Justice-family mining interests. Chestnut Land has been identified as majority owned by Gov. Jim Justice, with his adult children holding minority shares. West Virginia regulators suspended a Justice-family mine permit in McDowell County in 2024 after runoff and sediment problems at another mine, adding to the attention now falling on this latest permit renewal.

For McDowell County, the question is not abstract. It is whether this permit keeps mining activity and related jobs moving near Squire without adding new pressure on streams that feed the Tug Fork system and the homes, wells and businesses that depend on them downstream.