'They need to fix this': McDowell County residents sue coal firm for clean water

Gov. Patrick Morrisey pledged to fight for clean water in the historic coal mining company city of Gary in McDowell County during a stop on his water-focused southern coalfields listening tour on Aug. 5, 2026. But Gary residents say that Morrisey’s administration and federal officials have failed to pursue civil or criminal legal action to force into environmental compliance a coal mining company whose pollution has made their tap water unusable.