We’ve always had ticks in West Virginia. But maybe you’ve noticed they’re worse now. You aren’t imagining it. There are more ticks these days and they are showing up earlier in the spring and dying off later in the fall. The culprit? Climate change. As climate change brings warmer spring temperatures and milder autumns to […]
Everyone is familiar with rooftop solar panels. These are installed on homes, garages and barns – wherever there is adequate sunlight. Rooftop solar panels are popular because consumers can replace some of the expensive electricity produced by their utility company with inexpensive electricity produced at their own home. And any electricity produced beyond what the […]
Everyone has noticed. Extreme heat has become more frequent and more widespread than in the past. Is it just a temporary natural fluke that will be corrected when we return to the mean temperatures experienced in the last fifty years? Absolutely not. The reason is climate change. Climate Central is an independent group of scientists […]
Solar power is unlimited, cheap and pollution-free. New jobs are being created all over the country in the manufacturing and installation of solar energy infrastructure. States all around West Virginia are adopting public policy that promotes the development and use of solar energy. So why is West Virginia lagging in the adoption of solar energy? […]
Nearly all states have disaster recovery plans, and these typically include flood disaster recovery. Recovery is a different concept than resiliency, which is designed to harden communities and infrastructure against future harm. West Virginia has an official Flood Resiliency Plan and is about to get a new, updated version by the end of June 2024. […]
If your neighbor says he’s not worried about climate change because West Virginia isn’t on the Atlantic coast, he hasn’t been keeping up with the news. Coastal flooding isn’t the issue. The real issue is flash flooding from our creeks and rivers. Not only is West Virginia vulnerable, we’re one of the riskiest states in […]
West Virginia continues to benefit from the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. On April 22, 2024, the EPA announced that over $106 million would be granted to the WV Energy Office for the state’s Real Resilient Roofs program. The money will be used to deploy solar roof top installations in the Mountain State, particularly in […]
Nothing shows how desperately West Virginia needs a change than Jim Justice’s veto of HB 5528. Coal fuels 92% of West Virginia’s electric generation, while renewable solar energy is responsible for less than 2%. HB 5528 would have made a modest increase in the amount of solar allowed under West Virginia law. But, according to […]
If you are looking for another example of how the Legislature in West Virginia favors big industry over the little guy, look no further than SB 822, introduced in the Senate on February 16, 2024. This bill attacks carbon offset agreements and conservation easements — two different kinds of contracts currently used by small landowners […]
Nationally there has been great interest in electric plug-in vehicles. In West Virginia not so much. The Biden Administration has identified alternative fuel vehicles, including EVs, as one means of reducing greenhouse gasses. The West Virginia government has given them a big yawn. That attitude is still prevalent at the 2024 Legislature. The real benefit […]
