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Climate Change Has Made This Extreme Heat Four Times More Likely

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…
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West Virginia Flooding – The Present Danger

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…
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SB 171: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Unfortunately, the West Virginia Senate has adopted the wholly undemocratic practice of advancing bills at the opening of the annual legislative session without public notice, referral to committee or debate. Senate Bill 171, passed unanimously…
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Solar Power Back on the Agenda at the Legislature

A bill authorizing community solar programs in West Virginia was introduced in the House of Delegates on January 17, 2024. The bill, HB 4834, would extend the benefits of solar energy to electric consumers who have no roof space, live in shady…
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New Energy Jobs Await West Virginia – If We Just Elect the Right Legislators

Anyone who has been to Weirton in the last decade has seen the shuttered steel plant, with its miles of pipelines, squarely in the middle of town. Now there is new life and hope in Weirton thanks to Form Energy’s long-duration battery facility…
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The Virginia Acorn Program – An Idea for West Virginia

This year, Virginia donors sent 12 tons of acorns and other tree seeds to the Virginia Department of Forestry to secure Virginia’s arboreal future. It is all part of a decade-old program to grow and plant hardwood seedlings in Virginia’s…
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The Montana Children’s Climate Lawsuit

Montana is a lot like West Virginia – rural, sparsely populated, scenic, and dominated by coal interests. There is one significant difference. In the 1970s, Montana amended its constitution to create a right on behalf of citizens to “a…
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Where Are We On PFAS Protection in West Virginia?

PFAS is an acronym used as shorthand for several related synthetic chemical compounds. These compounds have unique properties that make them highly stable and resistant to degradation in  the environment. For that reason PFAS are called "forever…
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No Escape from Fossil Fuels: SB 188 Facilitates Natural Gas Power Plants

In West Virginia, environmentalists need to be realistic about how far the state can depart from fossil fuel power generation. Much of the state’s economy and many jobs are tied up in fossil fuels, both coal and natural gas. Currently, West…
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Land Use: Where the Action is at the 2023 Legislature

Midway through the fourth week of the 2023 legislative session, it is possible to get an overview of what seems important to legislators and their constituents. It is land use, both public and private. Several important bills affecting how we…