Charleston Gazette-Mail - While West Virginians are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and trying to figure out if their kids can attend school, the oil and gas industry is working with the West Virginia State Tax Department to cut its property taxes by as much as $62 million per year. Read full article. Last month,…
Energy & Environment
Charleston Gazette-Mail - A Citizens Guide to Climate Change, a 16-page report on the impending climate crisis and summaries of potential solutions proposed to counter it, has been released by the newly formed West Virginia Climate Alliance. "This guide is the beginning of a dialog with West Virginians," said Charleston's Perry Bryant, a member of…
Energy News Network - Coal’s downturn has taken a toll on Appalachian Ohio, but solar power could be one step on a potential path forward as the region’s economy tries to rebound. Read full article. A recent analysis by Ohio University suggests that utility-scale solar projects could create tens of thousands of jobs and billions…
Allegheny Front - A coalition of progressive environmental and policy groups has an economic plan for the Ohio River Valley of Appalachia — including Southwestern Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. ReImagine Appalachia breaks away from traditional fossil fuel extraction, and relies on federal stimulus dollars to build a sustainable economy with an eye towards racial equality…
Energy News Network, Gillette News Record - The 28-year-old man clearly had opinions on the future of coal, but wouldn’t share them until out of earshot of a group of unemployed miners at a gas station in southern West Virginia. Read full article here. “Economically, these coal fields are dying,” he said, adding that he…
While the coalition applauds the platform's bold vision for the future, it says the party must do more to prioritize Appalachia and other rural communities. For Immediate Release: August 20, 2020 Contact: Kelly Allen, 304-612-4180 Charleston, WV - ReImagine Appalachia is diverse coalition of organizations from West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Ohio that put forward a policy blueprint to rebuild Appalachian…
West Virginia Public Broadcast, Ohio Valley Resource - A coalition of progressive policy and environmental groups has released a “blueprint” that provides a framework for how Ohio Valley communities could reap the benefits of federal action to address climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Read full article here. The plan, titled “Reimagine Appalachia” envisions a future economy for…
While the tax bills passed during the 2020 Legislative Session are awaiting the governor's approval, most of the largest tax cut proposals failed to make it across the finish line but will likely return next year. Specifically, the legislature failed to place on the November 2020 ballot a constitutional amendment to repeal part or all…
On top of Senate Bill 655 that would reduce local property tax revenues from natural gas extraction, there are also several bills moving in the House that would give sizable tax reductions to natural gas and coal corporations. House BIll 4439 would expand a 35% tax credit on the coal severance tax that was passed…
A recent article in Vox by David Roberts highlights how a coal mining bust in Wyoming is resulting in "vulture capitalism" as investors buy up bankrupt coal mines while coal executives receive large bonuses and the communities in Wyoming struggle with thousands of laid off workers, lost pensions, environmental degradation, and an undiversified economy. This…