If you have read our blog before, by now you should be familiar with the variety of "tax climate" or "business friendly" indexes put out by groups like the Tax Foundation. And you should also know that these indexes have repeatedly failed to show any connectionbetween their scores and state economic performance. Peter Fisher at…
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On Thursday Gov. Tomblin stated that he needed more time and information before deciding whether or not the state would move along with the expansion of the state's Medicaid program as part of the Affordable Care Act. While the health reform law calls for states to increase Medicaid eligibility to 138 percent of the federal poverty…
Starting next year, the state Department of Health and Human Resources plans to cut child care subsidies, affecting 800 families and 1,400 children. According to state officials, the cuts are necessary due to a depletion of surplus federal funds and are expected to save the state $8 million. Could the state find $8 million in the budget…
As Sean and I have both touched on, one of the central factors causing the decline in Central Appalachia coal production is the exhaustion of thicker, more easy to mine, coal seams. One way to gauge this trend is by looking at coal productivity. Coal productivity can be measured in two ways. The Energy Information…
Last month, using new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), Ted showed that West Virginia coal production is headed for a steep decline in the coming years, led by falling production in Central Appalachia. According to the EIA, "Appalachian coal production declines substantially from current levels, as coal produced from the extensively mined, higher cost reserves…
The Daily Mail today is trying to scare folks about the Medicaid expansion contained in the Affordable Care Act. Not only does the Daily Mail fail to mention any of the economic and health benefits of providing health insurance to over 121,000 uninsured low-income working families, they insist on using large numbers out of context.…
Today, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its annual energy outlook that Includes projections for regional coal production from 2009 to 2035. EIA is expecting a very steep decline in central Appalachian coal production and a slight increase in production in northern Appalachia. According to EIA, West Virginia is included in both central and…
Last week, Senator Jay Rockefeller gave an historic and courageous speech on the future of coal and the EPA (MACT) rule to limit contaminants and mercury emissions from coal fired power plants. Ken Ward analyzes the speech at Coal Tattoo so we don't have to. As the Center for American Progress (CAP) points out, this…
While the country is struggling to dig itself out of the Lesser Depression, the mining industry (oil, gas, and coal) has fared much better than most industries over the last three years. Currently, the unemployment rate in the mining industry is 4.5 percent, which is close to full employment, compared to 7.9 percent nationally. As…
Over at the Wheeling Intelligencer there seems to be some confusion about the growth and the number of natural gas jobs in the state, with estimates ranging from about 2,200 to over 16,000. Compiled below is a breakdown of natural gas sector job growth based on an analysis we did back in November. These annual…