Associated Press, Charlotte Observer, Houston Chronicle, Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram, Wheeling Intelligencer – West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin plans to give struggling coal producers a break by dropping a tax used to pay off a workers’ compensation debt. Read
Massive coal company Murray Energy, however, isn’t satisfied with just eliminating the extra 56-cent-per-ton cost. Amid a dire outlook for the state’s finances, Murray is pushing for West Virginia’s larger tax on mining coal to drop from 5 percent to 2 percent.
Tomblin’s administration warned the move would cause an additional hole of more than a $100 million a year into the state budget, and hurt counties further. West Virginia already expects a $384 million gap this budget year and a $466 million gap in 2017.
