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Mike DeVault

District 74 Marion County

Outgoing Trump Interior Department Defunds Urban Parks

On January 19, 2021 the US Department of Interior issued an order diverting funds away from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership, which funds urban green spaces in areas that lack access to conventional parks -- primarily in non-white…
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America’s Newest National Park Is West Virginia’s First

Tucked into the omnibus spending bill that passed Congress at the end of 2020 was a measure creating the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. This is the sixty-third national park, but the first one in West Virginia. To achieve this was…
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What’s In the New Spending Law for the Environment?

On December 27, 2020, seemingly at the last minute, President Trump signed the omnibus spending bill negotiated in Congress.  Much of the news has been about the pandemic relief provided in the law.  But the law also funds many new energy…

Austin Caperton Resigns as West Virginia DEP Head

Austin Caperton, the former coal executive who has served as Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection during the Justice Administration, will step down on Januray 18, 2021.  A new Secretary has not been named. Caperton was…

West Virginia Legislative Rules Committee Votes to Weaken Some Water Quality Standards

On December 9, a Joint Committee of the West Virginia Legislature voted 7-4 to approve a proposed water quality rule submitted by the Department of Environmental Protection.  The proposed rule weakens 13 current standards.   All seven Republicans…
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FERC Permits Mountain Valley Pipeline to Proceed

The Mountain Valley Pipeline, which seeks to transmit fracked natural gas from Northern West Virginia to markets in Virginia and North Carolina, has been on hold since 2018.  At that time the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals vacated authorizations…

Biden’s Pro-Environment Cabinet Picks

President-Elect Biden has named former Secretary of State John Kerry to be Special Climate Envoy.  Kerry will sit on the National Security Council as an internationally-focused climate czar.  Biden will also appoint a domestically-focused…

Clean Air Act Has Had Profound Effect on Birds

In a paper released on November 24, 2020, researchers from Cornell University concluded that the Clean Air Act not only has saved human lives, it has spared 1.5 billion avian lives. The reason is the reduction of ground level ozone concentrations…

Solar and Wind Industries Issue Policy Roadmaps for Biden Administration

The American Wind Energy Association, the leading wind energy trade association, has issued a proposed 100-day plan for the Biden Administration to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.  The plan advances four themes: establishing clean energy…