WVEC’s Annual Meeting Sets 2024 Legislative Goals

Attendees joined a guided hike to Tygart Dam led by State Park Naturalist Jacob Jackson, delving into the lake’s history and the dam project.

As we head into the 2024 legislative session in January, there will be many policy issues to monitor and bills to follow. Earlier this month WVEC members and member groups gathered at Tygart Lake State Park for WVEC’s annual meeting to discuss and decide on its legislative priorities. 

Attendees emphasized safeguarding solar power and addressing abandoned oil and gas wells. Speakers covered various causes, from environmental justice to opposing petrochemical projects. Attendees listed all their issues and then ranked them by voting. Here are the top four vote-getters. 

Net Metering – protect and preserve long-standing net metering rules to ensure all solar users are entitled to the existing fair market retail rate. To learn more, visit West Virginians for Energy Freedom..

Orphaned Gas Well Responsibility – require bonds to be set before drilling begins to cover plugging costs for gas wells that are abandoned or orphaned. Take action here.

Community Solar – promote access to affordable renewable energy through a solar facility subscription service. Customers can purchase an interest in a solar facility to use credits against their electric utility costs. Watch a webinar here.

State of West Virginia Rivers Designation – urge legislators to adopt a West Virginia Scenic Rivers bill for our state’s rivers. Learn more at WV Public Lands.

It’s impossible to predict everything that will come up during the 60-day legislative session, but WVEC’s lobby team will advocate for your priorities! A full list of our priorities are highlighted in the PDF below.