WVCBP in the News

August 17, 2015 by Sean O'Leary
Officials: POWER Plus Plan a Much-Needed Investment in Coal Communities

Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram - Earlier this year, President Barack Obama revealed his POWER Plus Plan, which proposes investing millions in aiding coal-dependent communities impacted by the industry's downturn. ReadThe plan coincides with the Obama Administration's controversial Clean Power Plan, an Environmental Protection Agency regulation to limit carbon emissions from U.S. power plants — a rule that…

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August 9, 2015 by Ted Boettner
As EPA Targets Coal, W.Va. at Crossroads

Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram - Last week, President Barack Obama revealed the final version of his unprecedented plan to cut carbon emissions from U.S. power plants, and the battle over the future of the nation's electric grid escalated. ReadWest Virginia's political leaders have decried the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan since it was first revealed…

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August 4, 2015 by Ted Boettner
Obama Urges Coalfield Officials to Support Climate Action

Charleston Gazette-Mail - As coal industry officials and their political allies launched furious opposition to a federal effort to fight climate change, President Obama on Monday urged coalfield communities to support the plan, offering to work with local leaders to address coal's legacy liabilities and provide new economic opportunities where the mining industry's decline is…

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August 3, 2015 by Ted Boettner
Century Aluminum Closes Its Doors for Good

Charleston Gazette-Mail - Jason Miller has six months left on the job he got 20 years ago. ReadFive others, two hourly employees and three supervisors, will continue to work with him at the Century Aluminum plant in Ravenswood. The plant was idled February 2009, when Century laid off more than 650 employees. Last week, Century…

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July 27, 2015 by WVCBP
Bureau Works to Stop Payday Lending Industry Abuses

Charleston Gazette-Mail - The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is working on creating stronger federal regulations to control consumer abuses by the payday lending industry. ReadThe West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy is supporting the Bureau's efforts to protect consumers and control payday lenders nationally."Payday loans create a long-term cycle of debt and a…

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July 27, 2015 by Ted Boettner
Officials: W.Va. Unemployment Rate Highlights Need for Economic Diversity

Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram - With West Virginia recording the highest unemployment rate in the U.S. in June at 7.4 percent, the state is feeling the effects of a lack of economic diversity, according to officials. ReadSince June of last year, the state has seen major job losses in extractive industries (2,900), construction (4,300) and leisure and…

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July 25, 2015 by Sean O'Leary
Prevailing Wage Debate Continues Among WV Officials

The State Journal - These days, it can be hard to tell what's real and what's not. ReadThe Internet brings information to the average person as quickly as a question can be Google'd. So, how is it that West Virginia's lawmakers and officials aren't quite sure how, exactly, to come up with a calculation as…

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July 23, 2015 by Ted Boettner
W.Va. Dealing with ‘Transitioning Economy’ After Six-Month Rise in Unemployment

Charleston Gazette-Mail - In the past six months, unemployment in West Virginia has risen dramatically, according to survey data collected by Workforce West Virginia and the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. ReadAccording to the most recent numbers, around 57,500 — 7.4 percent — of West Virginia's residents that are seeking work find themselves without…

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