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,"…
WVCBP in the News
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Charleston Gazette - One advocate called Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's decision to expand Medicaid the "biggest victory for low-income working families in decades." Read "If this all goes well, it will save lives, reduce health-care costs and increase productivity so people can spend their money on other things instead of barely getting by," said Ted…
Charleston Gazette, The State Journal, Centre Daily Times, Boston Globe and Boston.com - In West Virginia, about one-quarter of kids live in families with income below the federal poverty level. About half of kids live in families with income below double the poverty level, generally estimated to be the level at which a family can get…
Ted Boettner, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, said, "West Virginia still gives $150 million a year in various tax cuts and tax credits to businesses. Read "The state also lost $175 million a year by cutting the food tax. That amount has not been made up."