WVEC Weekly Legislative Round-Up

By Lucia Valentine and Kasey Russell, WVEC Lobbyists

Today is the 38th Day of the 2025 Legislative Session! The last day to introduce bills in the House was this past Tuesday, March 18; the last day to introduce bills in the Senate is Monday, March 24. This week started with excitement and energy with Environmental Day (E-Day)! We had over 35 groups tabling at the Capitol and at least 80 students from high schools and colleges statewide. 

Here are a few items we followed closely this week: 

Energy

Microgrid Program

HB 2014 and SB 818 – These bills were introduced by House Speaker Hanshaw (R-Clay) and Senate President Smith (R-Preston) at the request of Governor Morrisey. Both bills establish the Certified Microgrid Program administered by the Division of Economic Development, allowing new industries/corporations to use their own microgrid and not be part of the PJM grid (the power grid covering West Virginia). We have concerns with both bills and are hearing that they will likely undergo many amendments. 

Nuclear 

HB 2205 – This bill was introduced on February 14 by Delegates Steele (R- Raleigh) and Young (D-Kanawha). The bill expands the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission (PSC) to include regulation of advanced nuclear reactors. It passed the House Energy and Public Works Committee this week and heads to the House floor. The main bill sponsor, Steele, was absent, so no delegates offered amendments in the committee markup stage. We expect some amendments will be offered on the 2nd reading of the House Floor.

Clean Air and Water

Water Quality Standards

As you recall, the WV Department of Environmental Protection’s (WV DEP) rule bundle, HB 2233, passed the House of Delegates on March 12. We anticipate the bill being on the Senate Judiciary Committee agenda next week. We continue to educate lawmakers about why they should oppose the industry language put into the bundle after the public process and legislative review. As written, the bill allows for Category A drinking water protections to be removed from certain rivers and streams in West Virginia.

Community Air Monitoring

SB 575 seeks to weaken citizen air monitoring programs. As reported in past updates, these programs empower local communities to enhance data collected by government bodies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the WV Department of Environmental Protection. The bill has remained parked in the Senate Government Organization Committee, and we are waiting to see if it will move before cross-over day. 

 

Above Ground Storage Tank Act

As reported last week, SB 592 passed the full Senate on Friday, March 14. SB 592 would remove oil, gas, and coal tanks from inspections mandated under current law via the Aboveground Storage Tank Act. We continue to advocate against this bill in the House as it has been referred to the Energy Committee. Thank you to everyone who participated in the People’s Public Hearing during E-Day and spoke out against SB 592. Several local television stations, newspapers, and radio reporters reported on our public hearing! 

• WCHS News: Environmental groups rally against bill weakening water storage tank regulations
• West Virginia Watch: 11 years after WV chemical spill, advocates speak out against bill to rollback water protections
• The Legislature Today (Starting at 10 mins and 55 seconds): Energy & Environment Stakeholders Weigh In On Legislative Session

Anti Science Bills

HB 2493, the so-called “Sound Science in Regulations Act,” was on the House Health and Human Resources Committee agenda on March 18. Than Hitt, Senior Scientist with WV Rivers Coalition, gave a compelling and persuasive testimony against the bill. 

The WV Coal Association is also against this bill. Jason Bostic, Vice President of the WV Coal Association, testified that they and the WV Department of Environmental Protection use many site-specific data/reports when making decisions about coal permits. That data would not be allowable if this bill were to pass, making it impossible for the agency to make decisions about mining permits or, frankly, any regulations without hiring more scientists on staff. 

The same bill has been introduced in the Senate, SB599. As reported last week, this bill raises legitimate concerns from citizens, scientists, and state agencies. These bills 1) prevent state agencies from using public health research, 2) prevent state agencies from using the best available science, and 3) are overly broad and would impact nearly every aspect of state agency regulations, including advisories, rules, and standards that protect public health and the environment. This bill is also being pushed in other states, and we have heard that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is behind the effort.

Public Lands

ATVs

SB 711 would open all state lands to ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) by removing the prohibition against establishing additional trail systems within state parks and forests. This bill was on the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s agenda on E-Day, but it was pulled from the agenda due to a drafting error. We hear that the bill will not run this session. 

River Access

Senator Woodrum’s (R-Summers) River Access Bill, SB 801, was introduced earlier this week. This bill will require the WV Department of Transportation to consider including public access to waterways when building new bridges. It was introduced last year and died due to a lack of stakeholder support. The concerning language has been removed, so we hope this bill might pass both chambers this year. 

General Updates

Click here to check out WVEC’s complete list of 2025 Legislative Priorities.

To reach our lobby team, please email luciavalentine10@gmail.com and russell.kasey@gmail.com