Opinion
Climate bill is bad for West Virginia
In voting 219-212 in favor of a sweeping energy-climate bill Friday, did the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives stop and think about the ramifications — higher energy costs for everyone and a movement away from coal that could cripple West Virginia?
Apparently not.
But then again, how could they think when there was political dealmaking going on? Like Rep. Alan Grayson, who won a pledge of support that $50 million from the proceeds of pollution permit sales would go to a proposed new hurricane research facility in his district in Orlando, Fla.
How could they when House Democrats, at 3:09 a.m. Friday, added 341 pages to a bill that had already grown to more than 1,200 pages, an amendment that included, among other things, language on building codes and new training for real estate appraisers?
House Republican leader John Boehner called the bill a “bureaucratic nightmare” that would cost jobs, depress real estate prices and put the government into parts of the country where it now has no role.
To their credit, West Virginia’s three representatives — Democrats Nick Rahall and Alan Mollohan, and Republican Shelley Moore Capito — threw partisan politics out the door. All three voted against the measure, Rahall and Mollohan breaking away from the Democratic majority to do so.
The three really had no choice as West Virginia representatives. And make no mistake: This legislation is bad for West Virginia, as it places greater reliance in the future on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, and away from fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal, all the while imposing reductions on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, and instituting a cap-and-trade system that both supporters and opponents agree would result in higher energy costs for consumers.
As we’ve said before, we have no problem developing other sources of energy. But not at the expense of coal, which has powered this nation for generations. Coal must remain a major player, and instead of throwing millions into a new hurricane research facility, Congress should be doing all it can to further research ways to burn coal more cleanly.
If coal is pushed to the back burner:
Will lawmakers appropriate any more money for clean coal technology initiatives?
Will coal companies continue to invest in equipment and untapped reserves?
Will West Virginians suddenly without jobs be able to pay all but guaranteed higher energy bills?
Now it’s the Senate’s turn to stop and think about that.
We fully expect our two representatives in the Senate, Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, will champion West Virginia’s cause like our House representatives did.
— The Register-Herald
This editorial does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Times West Virginian editorial board.
- Opinion
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Elders deserve more relief via in-home care funding
In February, the Gazette reported that more than 900 fragile West Virginia elders had qualified for in-home care, but were getting no help because the Manchin administration says there is no money left for that program.
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Mine officials’ swift action may have saved lives
While it was hard to watch Patriot Coal Corp.’s Federal No. 2 Mine halt production a few times over the past month, we have to believe that swift action on the part of mine, union and federal officials may have saved lives.
Stopping mining at the operation means placing a financial burden on the miners who work there, we understand, but conditions were such that an explosion like the one that took the lives of 12 miners just four years ago in Sago was possible.
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Voters: Scrap it and rewrite it
A few weeks.
A lot can happen in a few weeks. Just think, a few weeks ago, we were all lamenting the snow and poor road conditions. Now we’ve had enough spring-like weather over the past couple of days that the only snow left is the clumps in parking lots from the plows. And even those are melting faster than a Dairy Creme Corner ice cream cone on a hot July day.
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Area women’s basketball programs have come long way
For many years, women’s basketball just seemed to many observers to be just something for young girls and women to do prior to the “real games” being played by boys and men. It took a long time before women’s games were even covered by the media — and that includes radio and television as well as newspapers.
Fortunately, opinions have changed over the years.
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City must practice responsible fiscal policy
The employees of the City of Fairmont have a reason to celebrate.
For the first time in three years, since a water crisis crippled the city and its finances in the early months of 2007, employees will get one-time pay increases worth about $750.
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Laws needed to regulate development of resources
The Marcellus shale formations, which extend throughout the Eastern United States, remain a largely untapped reserve of natural gas. And that makes it a prime target for energy development.
But local legislators want a little regulation when it comes to the extraction of the natural resource. Drillers tap millions of gallons of water from streams and rivers so as to bore into the rock formations that trap the state’s abundant reserves of natural gas.
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Broadband access vital to state’s future
The Mountain State is receiving $126.3 million in federal stimulus funding for a proposed statewide broadband infrastructure project.
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Here’s to dodging those potholes
There’s always this span of time when the snow melts and the beauty of the landscape suffers for it. Bare trees once frosted with snow are just bare again. The streets and sidewalks are covered with cinders and dust.
The brighter the sun shines, the uglier it looks.
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Erin’s Law would enable families to get sense of justice after future tragedies
There came a point several months after the violent death of her daughter that Debbie Keener came to a very grave conclusion. The person responsible for the hit-and-run death of her daughter would face but one charge — leaving the scene of an accident causing death.
And that charge, if successfully prosecuted, would mean that the person responsible for the death of Erin Keener, a 21-year-old honors nursing student at West Virginia University, would serve up to three years in prison.
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Hall of Fame would be fitting tribute to FSU legend Joe Retton
Has it really been almost 50 years since Joe Retton took over the reins of the Fairmont State basketball program that became such an important part of the West Virginia Conference Tournament for many years thereafter?
That it has. Forty-seven years, to be exact. And the West Virginia Conference Tournament is celebrating its 50th anniversary being held in Charleston this week.
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