WVCBP in the News

July 4, 2013 by WVCBP
WV Business, Political Leaders Welcome ACA Employer Mandate Delay

The State Journal - President Barack Obama abruptly decided July 2 to delay a controversial provision of his Affordable Care Act, much to the delight of some of West Virginia's business and political leaders. Read The president announced he will delay the employer mandate until 2015. The provision was originally to take effect at the…

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June 28, 2013 by Ted Boettner
Most in West Virginia Want Higher Coal Tax, Poll Shows

Charleston Gazette - A substantial majority of West Virginians favor a proposal to increase taxes on coal operators to create a long-term fund to help diversify the state's economy, according to a new survey conducted for the Union of Concerned Scientists. Read More than two-thirds of those surveyed by Lake Research Associates support the idea…

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June 28, 2013 by WVCBP
Study Shows Costs Decrease Under Insurance Marketplace

Charleston Gazette - Most people in West Virginia will pay less in health insurance premiums through the state's health insurance exchange than they would have in the regular insurance market before the federal Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress, according to a state-commissioned actuarial study. Read The rates are dependent on getting younger, healthy…

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June 27, 2013 by Ted Boettner
In Attacking Obama on Climate, West Virginia Leaders Ignore Natural Gas

Charleston Gazette - Ted Boettner, executive director of the West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy, said the state's political leaders are put in an awkward spot when confronted with how natural gas is edging out coal in the marketplace. Read "You can't simply push 100 percent for natural gas and 100 percent for coal,"…

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June 25, 2013 by Ted Boettner
Obama: Cut Emissions at Existing Plants, Fight Climate Change

The State Journal and WOWK-TV - For the effect on West Virginia's economy, Ted Boettner, director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, said that any federal action to limit carbon pollution needs to include a plan for working West Virginians. That would include diversifying not only the state's energy sector, but other…

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June 16, 2013 by Sean O'Leary
Fifty Years of Night: Coal Jobs Gone, Perhaps for Good

Lexington Herald-Leader - Analysts project that coal production in Eastern Kentucky and throughout Central Appalachia will continue a steep slide in the next few years regardless of the mix of environmental rules, said Sean O'Leary, an analyst with the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. Read "It's too expensive to mine, with or without…

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June 15, 2013 by Ted Boettner
Access to Marshall Finances Debated

Huntington Herald-Dispatch - The American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia is questioning how transparent Marshall University's budget really is, claiming the administration has put up roadblocks when it comes to finding detailed financial reports. Read Ted Boettner, executive director with the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, said he wants to see a more uniform…

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May 31, 2013 by Sean O'Leary
Corporations Will Likely Follow Patriot to Ax Retirees

West Virginia Public News Service – Observers of corporate bankruptcies say the ruling in the Patriot Coal case will open the door to other corporations that want to shed retiree obligations. Read Sean O'Leary, policy analyst with the West Virginia Center On Budget & Policy, says retirees might end up having to depend on Social…

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May 21, 2013 by Sean O'Leary
Gestamp Plant Gets $150M in Development Authority Bonds

The State Journal - Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced in 2012 the state planned to invest a minimum of $100 million in the plant to create as many as 700 jobs, and at the time, WVCBP Executive Director Ted Boettner said Gestamp would pay few taxes because of the incentives. Just this week, WVCBP fiscal…

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May 15, 2013 by Ted Boettner
Region’s Coal Industry Faces Huge Drop, Report Says

Charleston Gazette - Coal production in Southern West Virginia and the rest of central Appalachia will continue to plummet over the next 30 years, according to a new report that examines multiple stresses that are pressuring the region's mining industry. Read Ted Boettner, executive director of the West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy, said…

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