Posts by Rob Goodwin
10 posts found
Newsletter article Rob Goodwin March 19, 2015
We live to fight another day as the 2015 Legislative Session Wraps Up
The 2015 Legislative Session ended late Saturday night with several major bills getting killed in the final hours. The majority of the bills that died in the final hours were bad bills as the climate this session was not very conducive to even getting good bills on the agenda. There were a few major bills that consumed the majority of the lobby team’s time this session being the Coal Jobs and Safety Act, Category A Protections for the Kanawha River, HB 2004 the Anti-Clean Power Plan bill, and SB423 the roll back of the tank bill. Of these bills Category A protections for the Kanawha River and the WVDHHR Source Water Protection Planning Rules were of the few bills we could actually encourage a yes vote on. More
Issues: Aboveground tanks, Coal, Marcellus, Net metering
We live to fight another day as the 2015 Legislative Session Wraps Up
The 2015 Legislative Session ended late Saturday night with several major bills getting killed in the final hours. The majority of the bills that died in the final hours were bad bills as the climate this session was not very conducive to even getting good bills on the agenda. There were a few major bills that consumed the majority of the lobby team’s time this session being the Coal Jobs and Safety Act, Category A Protections for the Kanawha River, HB 2004 the Anti-Clean Power Plan bill, and SB423 the roll back of the tank bill. Of these bills Category A protections for the Kanawha River and the WVDHHR Source Water Protection Planning Rules were of the few bills we could actually encourage a yes vote on. More
Issues: Aboveground tanks, Coal, Marcellus, Net metering
Newsletter article Rob Goodwin March 7, 2015
Coal Gets a Tax Cut Through HB2675 Despite its Continued Drain on State Budget
Early in the 2015 Legislative Session, the West Virginia Coal Association unveiled its 2015 Coal Legislative Program. A copy of this proposal was posted and distributed to the public by Ken Ward, Jr at the Charleston Gazette on his Coal Tattoo Blog on January 29th. A key provision in this proposal was to eliminate a 56 cent per ton tax on coal paid into the Workers’ Compensation Debt Reduction Fund. More
Issues: Coal
Coal Gets a Tax Cut Through HB2675 Despite its Continued Drain on State Budget
Early in the 2015 Legislative Session, the West Virginia Coal Association unveiled its 2015 Coal Legislative Program. A copy of this proposal was posted and distributed to the public by Ken Ward, Jr at the Charleston Gazette on his Coal Tattoo Blog on January 29th. A key provision in this proposal was to eliminate a 56 cent per ton tax on coal paid into the Workers’ Compensation Debt Reduction Fund. More
Issues: Coal
Blog, Newsletter article Rob Goodwin March 1, 2015
Stinky Deal in SB27 to Bring Trash from New Jersey to McDowell County Dies in Senate Finance Committee
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed as amended SB27 on Saturday to allow McDowell county voters to decide if they want 50,000 tons of out-of-state trash rolling in monthly by rail and disposed of in county. To attempt to avoid constitutional provisions prohibiting bills from only applying to a single county and with the intent of this bill to only apply to a single county, Sen. Hall (Wyoming ) agreed to amend the bill introduced through a committee substitute to only pertain to counties with populations less than 40,000 people. More
Issues: Solid waste
Stinky Deal in SB27 to Bring Trash from New Jersey to McDowell County Dies in Senate Finance Committee
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed as amended SB27 on Saturday to allow McDowell county voters to decide if they want 50,000 tons of out-of-state trash rolling in monthly by rail and disposed of in county. To attempt to avoid constitutional provisions prohibiting bills from only applying to a single county and with the intent of this bill to only apply to a single county, Sen. Hall (Wyoming ) agreed to amend the bill introduced through a committee substitute to only pertain to counties with populations less than 40,000 people. More
Issues: Solid waste
Newsletter article Rob Goodwin February 21, 2015
Bi-Partisan Leadership from Kanawha County Delegation Moves Category A Protections Smoothly to House Floor
Friday Afternoon the House Judiciary Committee approved the proposed rule with-out amendments that would restore 72 miles of the Kanawha River to Category A status. This is the first step in making those 72 miles of river eligible for use as public drinking water after conventional treatment. Del. Mike Azinger from Wood County was the only dissenting vote. More
Issues: Water
Bi-Partisan Leadership from Kanawha County Delegation Moves Category A Protections Smoothly to House Floor
Friday Afternoon the House Judiciary Committee approved the proposed rule with-out amendments that would restore 72 miles of the Kanawha River to Category A status. This is the first step in making those 72 miles of river eligible for use as public drinking water after conventional treatment. Del. Mike Azinger from Wood County was the only dissenting vote. More
Issues: Water
Newsletter article Rob Goodwin February 14, 2015
HB2004 Anti-Clean Power Plan Bill heads to Senate Floor with $500,000 Fiscal Note
On Thursday, February, 12th the Senate Judiciary committee sent HB2004 to the Senate floor with an expected vote this week. HB2004 will require legislative approval before any state plan is submitted to EPA under the proposed Clean Power Plan rules to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Representatives of the WVDEP, Alpha Natural Resources, and the Attorney General’s office spoke before the committee and answered questions on the proposed measure. More
Issues: Coal, Energy, Energy efficiency
HB2004 Anti-Clean Power Plan Bill heads to Senate Floor with $500,000 Fiscal Note
On Thursday, February, 12th the Senate Judiciary committee sent HB2004 to the Senate floor with an expected vote this week. HB2004 will require legislative approval before any state plan is submitted to EPA under the proposed Clean Power Plan rules to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Representatives of the WVDEP, Alpha Natural Resources, and the Attorney General’s office spoke before the committee and answered questions on the proposed measure. More
Issues: Coal, Energy, Energy efficiency
Newsletter article Rob Goodwin February 7, 2015
Coal Industry Took a Risk with Mountaintop Removal and Are Asking Legislature for a Bail Out
House Bill 2566, the Coal Jobs and Safety Act of 2015, should be called the Coal Industry Bail Out Act of 2015.Testimony from Alpha Natural Resources and the WV Coal Association this week before committees in the House and Senate could not have made the intent of this act clearer. The proposal is an effort through deregulation to cut costs in a struggling industry. A major component of the bill is to create a permit shield that will attempt to enable the coal industry to escape the liability in clean-up costs of hundreds of miles of streams it has polluted through the misguided risky practice of Mountaintop Removal. More
Issues: Coal, DEP, Pollution, Water
Coal Industry Took a Risk with Mountaintop Removal and Are Asking Legislature for a Bail Out
House Bill 2566, the Coal Jobs and Safety Act of 2015, should be called the Coal Industry Bail Out Act of 2015.Testimony from Alpha Natural Resources and the WV Coal Association this week before committees in the House and Senate could not have made the intent of this act clearer. The proposal is an effort through deregulation to cut costs in a struggling industry. A major component of the bill is to create a permit shield that will attempt to enable the coal industry to escape the liability in clean-up costs of hundreds of miles of streams it has polluted through the misguided risky practice of Mountaintop Removal. More
Issues: Coal, DEP, Pollution, Water
Newsletter article Rob Goodwin February 1, 2015
WVDEP Budget and Civil Penalties
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection presented its budget last week to the House Finance Committee. The most substantive part of the discussion following the presentation from Secretary Huffman was a request from Del. Nancy Peoples Guthrie, who asked Secretary Huffman to provide to the committee information regarding when the last time civil penalties maximums were adjusted. Secretary Huffman agreed to provide that information to the committee, but volunteered the information that surface mining civil penalties have never been increased since the regulations were first established decades ago. More
Issues: DEP
WVDEP Budget and Civil Penalties
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection presented its budget last week to the House Finance Committee. The most substantive part of the discussion following the presentation from Secretary Huffman was a request from Del. Nancy Peoples Guthrie, who asked Secretary Huffman to provide to the committee information regarding when the last time civil penalties maximums were adjusted. Secretary Huffman agreed to provide that information to the committee, but volunteered the information that surface mining civil penalties have never been increased since the regulations were first established decades ago. More
Issues: DEP
Action Alerts Rob Goodwin January 28, 2015
Act Now! Let West Virginia Plan for a Clean Energy Future.
Republican obstructionists at the capitol in Charleston are defending the statues quo and obstructing a cleaner and brighter future for West Virginia. The House Judiciary committee has denied a public hearing request on a bill that will in effect cause the federal government to make a clean power plan for West Virginia. HB 2004 will prohibit the state from creating new programs in energy efficiency that will lower electric bills and save West Virginian's money. More
Issues: Energy, Renewable energy
Act Now! Let West Virginia Plan for a Clean Energy Future.
Republican obstructionists at the capitol in Charleston are defending the statues quo and obstructing a cleaner and brighter future for West Virginia. The House Judiciary committee has denied a public hearing request on a bill that will in effect cause the federal government to make a clean power plan for West Virginia. HB 2004 will prohibit the state from creating new programs in energy efficiency that will lower electric bills and save West Virginian's money. More
Issues: Energy, Renewable energy
Newsletter article Rob Goodwin January 25, 2015
Can Young Innovation and Entrepreneurship Change the Course of the 2015 Regressive Legislature?
There is one thing that repealing the WV Alternative Energy and Renewal Portfolio Standard (SB1), legislation limiting flexibility in the creation of a State Clean Power Plan HB2004 / SB4, and mandating state DHHR, DNR, DEP rules are no more stringent than federal rules (HB2269) have in common. They are priority bills at the top of the 2015 Legislature’s agenda closing doors for opportunities in innovation and entrepreneurship. More
Issues: DEP, Energy, Energy efficiency, Renewable energy
Can Young Innovation and Entrepreneurship Change the Course of the 2015 Regressive Legislature?
There is one thing that repealing the WV Alternative Energy and Renewal Portfolio Standard (SB1), legislation limiting flexibility in the creation of a State Clean Power Plan HB2004 / SB4, and mandating state DHHR, DNR, DEP rules are no more stringent than federal rules (HB2269) have in common. They are priority bills at the top of the 2015 Legislature’s agenda closing doors for opportunities in innovation and entrepreneurship. More
Issues: DEP, Energy, Energy efficiency, Renewable energy
Newsletter article Rob Goodwin January 18, 2015
The January 9th Chemical Disaster and Moving Forward on Water through the Legislature
The opening week of the west Virginia legislative session will be marked for generations as the anniversary of the January 9th MCHM Chemical Disaster of 2014 that contaminated the water of 300,000 West Virginian’s including the state capitol. The 2015 Legislative session kicked off this past week marking the first anniversary of the disaster that should dominate the environmental policy discussion among law makers for generations to come. Despite the disappointing fact that Gov. Tomblin propped up coal and gas in his state of the state address last week and failed to mention the water crisis or clean up of streams in any way shape or form, there are some encouraging words from WVDEP. More
Issues: DEP, MCHM, Water
The January 9th Chemical Disaster and Moving Forward on Water through the Legislature
The opening week of the west Virginia legislative session will be marked for generations as the anniversary of the January 9th MCHM Chemical Disaster of 2014 that contaminated the water of 300,000 West Virginian’s including the state capitol. The 2015 Legislative session kicked off this past week marking the first anniversary of the disaster that should dominate the environmental policy discussion among law makers for generations to come. Despite the disappointing fact that Gov. Tomblin propped up coal and gas in his state of the state address last week and failed to mention the water crisis or clean up of streams in any way shape or form, there are some encouraging words from WVDEP. More
Issues: DEP, MCHM, Water