Because of population loss, West Virginia’s three Congressional districts have been consolidated into two. The new 2nd District covers roughly the northern half of the state and pits two incumbent Republican Congressmen against one another in the primary on May 10. David McKinley, from Wheeling, is the sitting Congressman from the old 1st District. Alex […]
The West Virginia Legislature ended its 2022 regular session at midnight March 12, 2022. Altogether, the Legislature passed 293 bills. Sixty-two bills introduced were energy or environment related. Only 8 of them passed. Some of the unsuccessful bills we opposed. Many more we supported. Energy Policy There was a lot of long-range thinking about the […]
In an effort to capitalize on the natural gas contained in the Utica and Marcellus shale formations in West Virginia, Equitrans Midstream Corp. is constructing the Mountain Valley Pipeline running through eleven West Virginia counties and Southeastern Virginia. Equitrans and the pipeline’s other owners hope to provide up to 2 billion cubic feet of gas […]
Changes sought by industry to the DEP rules regarding water quality standards for human consumption were passed by the Legislature on February 10. The DEP incorporated the changes into the proposed rules as “a compromise” between the views of industry and environmental groups, but the measure was opposed strongly by West Virginia Rivers, the chief […]
In 2014, a leak from an aboveground storage tank on the Elk River just above the drinking water intake for Charleston and much of Kanawha County polluted drinking water for 300,000 consumers. As a result the West Virginia Legislature passed the Aboveground Storage Tank Act imposing strict safety and inspection rules on such tanks. Almost […]
Think of the period between January 12 and March 12 as hunting season. The prey? West Virginia’s precious environment. The hunters? All those willing to undervalue and sacrifice the environment for a few extra dollars here or there. There are a lot of hunters in West Virginia, folks, and they were out in Charleston during […]
Immediately upon assuming office, President Biden issued an executive order addressing his climate objectives. Prominent among these was the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps to tackle climate change resiliency and provide job training to underemployed youth. The new CCC would be modeled on a popular New Deal program that put thousands to work on […]
On November 11, 2021 a $34million settlement was reached between residents of Bennington, VT, and Saint-Gobain Corporation, which formerly operated a Teflon factory in the area. Teflon was made using PFOA, the infamous “forever chemical” that fouled the Ohio River near Parkersburg, West Virginia. PFOA contamination affected some 2,400 properties and 8,000 residents in the […]
For 100 years, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) has protected nearly 1000 bird species in the United States against being “taken” or killed except under prescribed circumstances. This statute prohibits hunters from intentionally killing birds without a permit, but has also been interpreted by courts and the Interior Department to prohibit incidental taking – […]
By Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer The White House announced Friday that President Biden will use his executive authority to restore protections for three national monuments drastically reduced during the Trump Administration. He will reestablish and increase the boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, both of which are in Utah. The orders […]
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