GREEN, Volume 33 Issue 12

Welcome to our September newsletter! Can you believe we’re just 110 days away from the 2024 Legislative Session? Did your heart rate quicken as well?

This edition has several opportunities for you to engage with our mission. Join us in supporting Community Solar and WVEC Lobbyist Lucia Valentine at our Community Meeting in Shepherdstown next Saturday, September 30; the event details are below.

Additionally, we’ve released the agenda for our annual meeting, November 3-5. Register here.

Watch for our “Countdown to the Capitol” Special Advocacy Newsletter in October. As we approach these final months, we want to emphasize the vital role citizen lobbying plays in advancing our cause. Your involvement is instrumental. If you haven’t already, join one of our many initiatives by completing our volunteer survey or emailing info@wvecouncil.org.

Please consider donating or renewing your membership to sustain our year-round lobbying work and campaigns. Your contribution plays a significant role in driving our collective efforts forward.

Thank you again!

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

Register Now for WVEC Annual Meeting – Nov. 3-5!
WVEC
The West Virginia Environmental Council invites you to its Annual Meeting, November 3-5, 2023, at the scenic Tygart Lake State Park in Grafton, WV. This event offers a chance to connect, collaborate, and delve into the crucial environmental issues facing West Virginia.
Tagged: Event

Urgent Action: Stop the Attack on Solar in West Virginia
Solar United Neighbors
Greedy monopoly utilities want to keep you in the dark. They’ve asked Public Service Commission (PSC) regulators to undermine West Virginia’s solar power. You can stop them. Tell commissioners to stop the assault on solar. Sign the petition today!
Tagged: Renewable energy, Solar power

Join the Ohio Valley Solar Co-op!
Solar United Neighbors
The Ohio Valley Solar & EV Charger Co-op is open to new members! With the help and expertise of Solar United Neighbors, co-op members use their bulk purchasing power to get competitive pricing and high-quality solar installations. There is no cost to join and no obligation to go solar. 
Tagged: Solar power

Call to Action: Urge Your Legislators to Support Orphan Well Prevention Act
Lucia Valentine
There are currently over 6,500 orphaned wells across the state of West Virginia. These wells were left behind by the oil and gas industry, leaving taxpayers responsible for the costs to plug them.
Tagged: Orphaned wells

2024 Lobby Team Job Opening
WVEC
The West Virginia Environmental Council (WVEC) is hiring its 2024 lobby team to provide contracted services between January 10, 2024 – March 9, 2024. All positions are temporary, however, any position could transition into a year-round, part-time role for the right candidate.
Tagged: Opportunity

Upcoming events!
WVEC
Open Comment Period: WVDEP Public Engagement Guidelines, Wednesday, October 11 by 5 pm, Mon Forest Snapshot Day, Sunday Oct. 1 at 12 pm, WV Highlands Conservancy Fall Review, October 13-15, Stop Financing the Mountain Valley Pipeline!
Tagged: Event, MVP

Fair Shake ELS Expands in West Virginia
Jillian Welsh
Over the past ten years, Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services has been a stalwart advocate for environmental justice, actively representing citizens and non-profits throughout central Appalachia. Now, the organization is expanding its impact by stationing a full-time lawyer, Andrew Earley, in West Virginia.
Tagged: Oil and gas