The Register-Herald. June 3, 2022.
Editorial: Avoid sinking more dollars into losing proposition
Chris Hamilton, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, made a preposterous late game pitch this past week, calling for partial government ownership of the economically endangered Pleasants Power Station. He wants the West Virginia Public Energy Authority – a body whose members are appointed by the governor and whose mission is to foster, encourage, and promote the mineral development industry in West Virginia – to throw whatever weight it might have behind the survival of an ailing power plant, which like most all other coal-fired facilities across the country has been on life support in recent years. By way of example, company executives are planning for the sale or deactivation of the Pleasants County facility by 2023 – next year.
But not to be dissuaded, Hamilton would like the state to help the plant remain operational and burn more coal well into the future, not because that would be in the best interests of the taxpayers who would be putting up the jack to foot the purchase, but rather of the people who sign his paycheck.
We the people are not paid to represent the special interests of an ailing industry and, as such, are more interested in having our tax dollars invested prudently in a more promising future of energy solutions, not the tired and fading answers of the past.
As you may remember, the state already has some skin in the game with the facility at Willow Island. The Legislature, at Gov. Jim Justice’s calling, met in special session in 2019 and provided First Energy Solutions, owner of Pleasants Power Station and going through bankruptcy at the time, an annual $12.5 million tax exemption. And even after that, the place is still odds on favorite to close up shop.
Of a similar narrative, state officials have recently taken steps to save the remaining coal-burning power plants around West Virginia with the Public Service Commission giving two thumbs up to wastewater projects at three plants owned by American Electric Power. The commission is expected to approve similar projects at two more owned by First Energy, which once owned Pleasants before selling it to Energy Harbor.
When completed, the projects will allow all five plants to remain operational beyond 2028. The companies’ customers? They will get stuck with the bill – on a monthly basis.
And this is the game and the people that get played time and again in this state – and at the end of the day it is the taxpayers and the rate payers who get stuck with the bill of sale. They are the ones who are funding these projects through tax breaks and the like. They are the ones taking all of the risk and receiving, in return, a bigger monthly utility bill.
This is a state that for too long has played by the rules of the Good Ol’ Boys in gas and oil, rules and laws that favor coal barons like our governor and others who promise jobs, jobs, jobs and then leave an environmental mess in the wake of another coal mine closing for we the people to clean up and drink the contaminated water.
Make no mistake, what Hamilton is calling for is government owning a significant share of a private enterprise – one, in this case, that is in decline.
Thanks, but we will take a pass, Mr. Hamilton.
Now, let’s talk about passing legislation that would pave the way of the renewable energy industry in this state.
Like it or not, that is the future, and that is the investment that will pay dividends.
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The Intelligencer. June 7, 2022.
Editorial: Town Trying a New Approach in W.Va.
Substance abuse is a favorite topic for bureaucrats and politicians who believe hearing themselves speak on the topic is akin to making a difference. But in at least on West Virginia town, officials decided to make their actions speak louder than those words.
Inspiration comes from a place many of us might not have considered.
At one time Iceland had some of the worst teen smoking and drinking rates, according to a West Virginia Public Broadcasting report, but officials decided to do something to truly address the problem. Officials in Fayetteville, W.Va., who also had the best interest of their community rather than political grandstanding in mind, are using the Icelandic template of giving kids something to do and addressing the cultural aspects of substance abuse.
In a place like Fayetteville, the focus is on the nearly endless outdoor recreation possibilities. Project Adventure offers kids the chance to try skateboarding, banjo picking and watersports. According to the report, such activities made the difference in Iceland, where the number of teens who got drunk once a month dropped from 45% to 5%.
A researcher at WVU studying the Fayetteville program described it this way: “The work isn’t about drugs. It’s about healthy life and healthy community.”
Communities who find a way to give kids opportunities to be involved, learn new things and discover new skills may find they are delaying introduction to the world of substance use and abuse. That delay makes a big difference.
Adults who buy in to the idea of trying a new approach might find it makes a difference for them, too.
Bravo to those in Fayetteville who decided to think outside the box and give it a try.
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Parkersburg News and Sentinel. June 7, 2022.
Editorial: Economy: West Virginia must embrace its potential
As inflation has caused a downshift in most personal economies, we know some parts of the country are harder hit than others. In many cases the regions hardest hit are those where economies were already struggling, as here in West Virginia. Personal finance website WalletHub took a look at “2022’s Best and Worst State Economies,” and if you are a Mountain State resident, you probably know what is coming next.
We were dead last.
At 51st (Washington, D.C. is included in the study), West Virginia is being outperformed by Alaska, Louisiana, Hawaii, Oklahoma and Mississippi at the bottom. We are 49th for economic activity, 42nd for economic health and 51st for innovation potential. Washington state was ranked 1st in the study, for which WalletHub said it was determining “which states are pulling the most weight even during this time of economic difficulty.”
It is an interesting phrase. West Virginia isn’t pulling its own weight when it comes to national economic growth. We live in a region where implying an individual is not doing his or her share is considered an insult — but often the kind that spurs a person to do better.
In the eyes of researchers such as those at WalletHub, however, our state doesn’t have a lot to work with for fueling improvement. We’re 49th for fewest independent inventor patents per 1,000 working age population; 50th for percentage of jobs in high-tech industries; 51st for median annual household income; 50th for startup activity. In other words, we are allowing ourselves to be left behind.
It is up to us to change mindsets enough to reverse that trend — and while elected officials bear much of that responsibility, individuals will have to shift their thinking, too. Positive change is possible if we stop looking backward and thinking of our economy as firmly rooted in the industries and values of 100 years ago. Those standards are holding us back.
We can do it. We DO have potential here — but we must stop being so very afraid to embrace it.
END
