Karan Ireland, WVEC Lobby Coordinator

Hi, E-Council friends! My name is Karan Ireland and I am your new E-Council lobby coordinator. While this is my first year working for the West Virginia Environmental Council, it’s not my first year walking the halls of the Capitol in support of sound environmental policy. I look forward to digging in on legislation related to: water quality standards, forced pooling, energy issues, and “regulatory reform.” I also hope we can look forward to seeing some of you around the Capitol; my colleague, Crystal, and I will be happy to show you around and point you in the direction of your legislators!

My work in environmental advocacy began in 2014 immediately following the leak of MCHM into the Elk River. That first year, I worked with several E-Council member groups on passage of SB 373, commonly known as “the tank bill”. The following year, I was working for West Virginia Citizen Action Group and lobbied predominantly on water issues. Since 2016, I’ve been working with Solar United Neighbors of West Virginia (formerly WV SUN) on energy and utility issues.

This year, Crystal and I will be tracking bills and meeting with legislators to promote bills that are in keeping with the E-Council’s legislative priorities. Included in those are, again, water quality issues; legislation related to oil, natural gas, and coal; and bills related to public lands. In addition, we will be fighting against the constant attack on sensible regulations.

It’s my hope that we can work with many of you to let our lawmakers know that we are paying attention and that we have a vision for our state we want them to follow. In the lobbying game, information is power, so please- if any of you hear anything, read anything, or are curious about anything, please text or call me at 304-356-8774.