CHARLESTON — As Congress continues to debate cap-and-trade, the clock will start ticking Wednesday on a measure aimed at energy and the environment in West Virginia.
Gov. Joe Manchin’s proposal to boost alternative and renewable energy sources is among at least 20 legislative measures passed this year that become law July 1.
The plan sets 2025 as the deadline for tapping such sources as solar, wind, biomass and synthetic fuel for at least 25 percent of the electricity sold in the Mountain State.
But with 96 percent of West Virginia’s power now derived from coal, the new law includes gasified, liquefied and waste forms of that fossil fuel under the alternative heading. That category also embraces natural gas, which is also found throughout the state but now accounts for less than 1 percent of the power it produces.
The measure shows West Virginians are “continuing our march toward energy independence, while taking steps to better protect our environment,” Manchin spokesman Matt Turner said.
The legislation had its critics, mostly minority Republicans in the House who questioned the need and the focus on non-coal sources. Some lawmakers had also sought to include nuclear energy in the mix, without success.
Another new law will change West Virginia’s PROMISE college scholarship. Grappling with the successful program’s explosive growth, lawmakers set a funding “floor” for the merit-based award at $4,750 annually.
PROMISE has covered tuition and fees at any of the state’s public colleges and universities, or an equivalent amount at its private institutions, for up to four years. Around 9,300 West Virginians now rely on PROMISE to attend college, and the program’s resulting price tag has surged from $10.2 million in 2002 to $42.3 million this year.
The legislation allows for larger future awards if program funding increases, while slightly increasing its share of lottery revenues. Students who land the scholarship by the end of this year are exempt from the new limit.
Several of the July 1 measures emerged from the public schools section of Manchin’s 2009 agenda. One offers to help counties with after-school and summer programs aimed at third and eighth graders unable to meet critical skills standards. Another will exempt schools from state policies and rules when they win approval to become “innovation zones” designed to boost student achievement.
To lure computer server farms and related high-tech employers, West Virginia will begin offering such businesses breaks on property and consumer sales taxes. Another tax-related change arriving Wednesday offers a personal income tax credit worth up to $2,000 for those who install a solar energy system on their homes.
West Virginia
Energy plan among new laws
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Man gets life sentence for ex-wife’s death
A man was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in the beating death of his ex-wife.
Thomas Charlie Lee Runner, 46, of Galloway, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Wednesday at the Barbour County Courthouse in Philippi. -
State campaign finance limits challenged in court
A political group formed to aid West Virginia incumbents this November won a partial victory Thursday after suing over the state’s limits on campaign contributions and a policy addressing corporate spending.
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Relatives other than parents raising kids
Sharon Davis jumped in and obtained custody of her young grandson when her daughter got tangled in a web of drugs. A decade later, her daughter is straightened out and now has her own little girl, while her son remains with Davis.
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Project aims to get West Virginians active
A new wellness project aims to motivate West Virginians to get off their couches and be healthy.
LiveWell West Virginia is a collaboration of the West Virginia University Extension Service and the Charleston Gazette. -
Missing girl’s mother gets eight months for welfare fraud
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the mother of a 3-year-old girl who vanished eight months ago this week to spend eight months behind bars for welfare fraud.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey ruled that Lena Lunsford must begin serving her sentence June 28. -
West Virginia seventh in death rates for accidents, violence
Drug overdoses and motor vehicle crashes helped push West Virginia’s death rate involving accidents and violence to the seventh-highest in the nation, according to a report on injury prevention released Tuesday.
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W.Va. could add hurdles to primary ballot
West Virginia officials have several options if they want to avoid repeating an outcome of this month’s primary election, when imprisoned felon Keith Judd attracted nearly 41 percent of the vote against President Barack Obama.
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W.Va. could add hurdles to primary ballot
West Virginia officials have several options if they want to avoid a repeat outcome of this month’s primary election, when imprisoned felon Keith Judd attracted nearly 41 percent of the vote against President Barack Obama.
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Computers used to grade WESTEST essays
Thousands of essays written by West Virginia students are largely going unread by human eyes.
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West Virginia coal mining employment at high level
State figures show that coal mining employment in West Virginia is at its highest level since the 1990s.
The Charleston Gazette says a recent analysis of Workforce West Virginia figures by Ted Boettner with the West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy shows there were nearly 22,700 mining jobs in 2011. - More West Virginia Headlines
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Man gets life sentence for ex-wife’s death
