Quenton with Mt. Rainier in the background during a trip to Seattle
This week, we won’t be highlighting a member organization, but one of our At-Large Board Members. Quenton King is not only an at-large board member, but WVEC’s President. King also served as WVEC Vice President last term. As always, the following is a Q&A-style interview between our communications coordinator and King.
Anna: What project(s) do you feel are most urgent or important to WVEC right now?
Quenton: My priorities for my first year as WVEC president are expanding our membership and helping people understand that there are things they can do to make an impact in their communities. Our issues aren’t necessarily partisan; no one wants an unchecked polluter dumping waste or extracting water in their backyards.
So with that, the 2026 Environmental Policy Briefing book we put out in January is going to be an important organizing and educational tool for us. I want to make sure we get that in the hands of folks who need it. There are environmental issues everywhere.
Anna: What does the future look like for WVEC?
Quenton: The more I learn about the history of WVEC and environmental advocacy in West Virginia, the more I see that the future looks a bit like the past. As you see in this week’s newsletter, we’re still fighting powerful corporations with our shoestring budget. We’re still trying to prevent West Virginia from being a place where out-of-state actors extract our labor and our natural resources for outside profit, while leaving us with all of the mess.
Obviously, data centers are going to be a part of our work in the future. We also need to stay on top of the state’s 50×50 plan and ensure that we’re not tying ourselves to polluting, costly energy for decades to come.
