Climate Eye – Week 8

As always, please follow and consider becoming a member of the West Virginia Environmental Council, which CAG is proud to support, for updates from their spectacular team of staff and lobbyists. Last Tuesday, February 28th, was E-Day at the Capitol! Check out photos here and here.

• The push to legislate PFAS Protection Act continues, and we urge you to contact your legislators at this link as soon as possible!
• With regard to additional funding for the Office of Oil & Gas to increase the number of inspectors for thousands of wells, only HB 3110 lives on. This bill passed the House floor on February 23, surviving Crossover Day, and will hopefully make it to passage—but that means we need your eyes on the Legislature. Contact them using this link to let them know that more inspectors are an urgent need.
• The bill of note regarding public lands, SB 468, passed the Senate on March 1. It was amended in the House to “prohibit” expansion outside of Cabwaylingo, constituting a win for protecting our public lands.
• A bill dealing with nuclear waste and storage, HB 2896, would make West Virginia an Agreement State with the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, caused some concern this week. However, Section F regarding nuclear waste storage, was removed from bill. HB 2896 passed Senate Economic Development on March 6, and got an extra reference to finance 
• SB 739, relating to moratorium on carbon capture agreements, passed Senate on March 1 and is due up soon in House Energy.
• Finally, not relating directly to any one piece of current legislation but of equal importance, we ask that all of you reading please complete Sierra Club’s FirstEnergy/Pleasants Power Station Action Alert—a second bailout to the beleaguered plant is a bad investment that would fall back on ratepayers and keep burning dirty coal.