Delegates Energy News Today

The West Virginia House of Delegates Energy and Manufacturing Committee approved a bill, on Feb. 14, 2024, that would allow a tax credit for operating environmental pollution control equipment at coal-fired plants. House Bill 5522 would apply to electric utility-controlled plants.

The West Virginia House of Delegates Energy and Manufacturing Committee approved House Bill 5223, which would create a council to provide economic development assistance to southern coalfield counties. The bills approval comes amid the dormancy of another body that was created for a similar purpose in 2022, the Coalfield Community Grant Facilitation Commission.

The West Virginia House of Delegates Energy and Manufacturing Committee has scheduled a public hearing on House Bill 5018, which would bar Department of Environmental Protection use of community air monitoring data for regulatory purposes in establishing air quality standards. Opponents say the bill would discourage citizen air monitoring and frustrate efforts to supplement the DEPs air quality monitoring network, which doesnt provide monitors in most West Virginia counties.