U.S. Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., hopes his version of a fix for coal miner pensions passes the House of Representatives and breaks through the blockage in the U.S. Senate. House Resolution 935, the Miners Pension Protection Act, passed the House Natural Resources Committee Wednesday. The bill would provide funding to shore up miner pension funds affected by company bankruptcies and other catastrophes. “The window for addressing the looming insolvency of miners pensions is closing quickly,” McK...
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A contract for support services at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation facility in Fairmont, has been awarded to the West Virginia University Research Corp. in Morgantown, officials said. The Operations and Maintenance 2 contract is a cost-no-fee contract and has a total potential value of $24.9 million. The contract begins Oct. 1 with a six-month base period followed by four one-year options and one six-month option. To r...
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For decades, the Gulf Coast has been the focal point of our nation’s petrochemical industry. Because much of the oil and natural gas produced in the United States came from that region, locating downstream plants there seemed to make sense. But, as three members of Congress from West Virginia point out, having about 95 percent of U.S. ethylene production on the Gulf Coast is risky business. Even one major hurricane could cripple the industry, perhaps for months. Times change, and it has turned o...
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The West Virginia Water Research Institute at West Virginia University has been awarded $5 million by the U.S. Department of Energy to scale up its successful Rare Earth Recovery Project, which will include building a facility at a new acid mine drainage treatment plant near Mount Storm. The funding received the full support of West Virginia’s five congressional delegates and will help continue ongoing research of the project, which began with a pilot plant in 2018. Rare earth elements are used ...
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A bill directing the Appalachian Regional Commission to direct money for the creation of the Appalachian petrochemical hub was introduced by West Virginia’s three members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Appalachian Regional Energy Hub would store the liquids from natural gas, including ethane. The liquids are used to make plastics, among other uses. Three sites have been identified in West Virginia for the hub, including in Tyler County in the Bens Run Area. Click here to read more
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House Republicans are backing the push to keep the Appalachian Regional Commission running and use the independent development agency to help build a politically charged petrochemical storage hub project in the region. Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) introduced two bills last week that mirror legislation previously put forward by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). H.R. 4434 would reauthorize the ARC, which serves 420 counties in 13 states along the Appalachian Mountains, through 2025. Congress h...
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West Virginia’s three representatives in the U.S. House have introduced legislation that would promote the creation of a proposed Appalachian Storage Hub. Rep. David McKinley was the lead sponsor while Reps. Alex Mooney and Carol Miller, all R-W.Va., cosponsored House Resolution 4433, the Appalachian Regional Energy Hub Initiative Act. If passed, the resolution would direct the Appalachian Regional Commission to provide funds to help in the hub’s creation. To read the full story click here
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Today, Representatives David B. McKinley P.E. (R-W.Va.) and David Trone (D-Md.) introduced legislation to promote economic development in Appalachia. The Appalachian Regional Commission Reauthorization Act H.R. 4434 will reauthorize the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) through 2025. The bill will authorize funding for the ARC at a level of $180 million with $20 million of that specifically dedicated to broadband deployment in Appalachia. Full text of the bill can be read here. “The ARC has ...
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The federal fiscal year starts Oct. 1 and appropriations bills are making their way through Congress. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee and highlighted on Thursday some measures she’s included to benefit her constituents. Of local interest is $800 million for Fossil Energy Research, included in the Fiscal Year 2020 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act. That figure, she said, is $60 million above the FY 2019 enacted level and $238 million a...
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Today, Rep. David B. McKinley P.E. (R-WV), introduced the Water Quality Certification Improvement Act of 2019, which will help advance energy infrastructure projects. This legislation will clarify Section 401 of the Clean Water Act which is part of the permitting process for pipelines and other infrastructure projects. Currently, some states have used the Section 401 certification process to prevent and delay federally permitted projects. “Building and modernizing energy infrastructure is vital ...
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