GREEN, Volume 31 Issue 9

Welcome to the last newsletter of the 2021 Legislative Session. We are not done yet as the final 8 days of the session promise to be critical. (The session ends at midnight on Saturday, April 10). 

There is still time to defeat the harmful bill that would gut the Aboveground Storage Tank Act likely to be taken up by Senate Judiciary next week. Please call your Senators and tell them to vote NO on HB 2598. Scroll down for our new one-pager that will give you some talking points on why this bill is so terrible.

Read on for the WVEC lobby team’s updates on the other bills we are watching.

Your support is crucial as we head into the home stretch! Please consider renewing your membership or making a donation to support our lobby team. We can’t do it without you!

Thank you for all of your calls and support and let’s keep them coming in the session’s final days!

Click an article title or thumbnail image to read the full article (text below is only an excerpt).

Second to Last Week at the WV Legislature
WVEC
Next Saturday, April 10, is the last day of the WV Legislative Session. We are still watching quite a few bills and there are still important actions to take! Click on article to read more.
Tagged: Legislation

Facts Behind HB 2598 and Number of Exempt Tanks by Affected County
WVEC
Please call your Senate Judiciary Committee members on Monday and encourage them to vote NO on HB 2598. Read below for talking points and a list of oil and gas tanks by West Virginia county that would be exempted.
Tagged: Aboveground tanks, Pollution, Water

Voting Access Under Attack
WV Citizens for Clean Elections
A bill (SB 565) that would limit access to early voting, gut automatic voter registration, and make it easier to remove voters from the registration rolls is picking up steam in the WV Legislature. The bill has already passed the Senate and is now before the House Judiciary Committee.
Tagged: Clean elections, Legislation

ALERT! Tell Legislators Not to Cut the Budget for WV DEP Oil and Gas Well Inspectors

The staffing level of the DEP Office of Oil and Gas was cut from 40 to 25 positions last year due to a budget deficit. There is now only 1 oil and gas inspector for every 7000 oil or gas wells and their associated tanks in West Virginia.  On top of that, the House of Delegates passed, and the Senate is considering, H.B. 2598 that will drop inspection of 800 oil and gas well tanks by the Division of Water and Waste Management.
Tagged: Aboveground tanks, Water

Reimagine Appalachia Workshop – April 7

This engaging webinar will give grassroots community advocates the tools they need to influence their local elected officials and make bold investments in Appalachia possible.
Tagged: Event

Power Analysis and Power Mapping Training: April 8
OVEC
The Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC) is hosting a Power Analysis and Power Mapping Training on at 6:30 p.m. on April 8. Register here for the event.
Tagged: Event

Member Spotlight: Sierra Club West Virginia
WVEC
Their statement of purpose is:  To explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the Earth; to practice and promote the responsible use of the Earth’s ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.

Solar United Neighbors Hiring a Campaigns Director
Solar United Neighbors
Solar United Neighbors is seeking a Campaigns Director to carry out and support federal- and state-level grassroots organizing campaigns to advance distributed solar power and energy equity and democracy. View the job posting here
Tagged: Opportunity

Solar United Neighbors Seeing an Engagement Specialist
Solar United Neighbors
Solar United Neighbors (SUN) is hiring an Engagement Specialist to provide integral support for four of its state programs by coordinating local engagement activities in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. View the job posting here.
Tagged: Opportunity