West Virginia Legislative Photography
The West Virginia House Judiciary Committee was the first group this year to hold a public hearing on pending legislation.
Legislation in the House of Delegates would update water quality standards by adopting a quarter of recommended rules for pollutants that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency created in 2015.
Representatives for companies regulated by these rules, like the West Virginia Manufacturers Association, say House Bill 2389 is “scientifically defensible” and reasonable.
Meanwhile, environmental advocates argue that the bill is an incomplete effort, incorporating several new rules that would weaken existing water quality standards and ignoring dozens of other EPA recommendations to increase regulation.