A committee meeting that was supposed to discuss an economic development bill in southern West Virginia dissolved into a heated debate over a single line about net-zero carbon, highlighting deeper tensions between lawmakers about the state’s energy trajectory.
The Senate Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday to discuss a committee substitute to SB 354. The bill would create a 13-member “Advanced Energy and Economic Corridor Authority Commission,” a group tasked with supporting economic development efforts in McDowell, Mercer, Mingo and Wayne counties, all of which are along the King Coal Highway.
Sponsors argued that the bill would help spur new development in the state’s southern coalfields while making West Virginia more competitive along the larger highway corridor, which stretches from northern Michigan to eastern South Carolina.
“Every state is further along than where West Virginia is on this corridor,” Sen. Robert Plymale, D-Wayne, argued, before adding that the authority would be able to take advantage of a wave of energy investment being encouraged by the federal government.
“You can attract companies in technology, there’s a lot of federal money, a lot of private sector money that can assist you with economic development, ” he said.
But other legislators bristled at the bill’s mention that the commission would “make a commitment to a net-zero carbon footprint for all endeavors,” one of its goals, arguing that the language could pull the coal-heavy region away from its roots.
“I am troubled by that language,” said Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha. Later, Stuart noted that his concern was largely due to the Biden administration’s encouragement of clean energy policies.
“I support the intention of this bill,” he said. “And I appreciate the comments from the Senator who said ‘we don’t want to lose the forest for the trees,’ but I’m worried about an administration that doesn’t want me to cut a tree.”
Supporters of the bill countered that the measure would not change West Virginia’s use of coal and could in fact help the economic prosperity of the region, which has struggled to recover from a decline in the coal economy. “This is going to be able to open up a lot of coal jobs in southern West Virginia and make it easier to mine,” said Sen. Rupie Phillips, R-Logan. “This is a pro-coal bill.”
In the end, the committee voted to remove the net-zero carbon language from the bill. The measure was then sent to the Senate floor and recommended to pass.