On Feb. 19, 2024, the West Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill, House Bill 5223, that would create a council aimed at revitalizing the state s southern coalfield counties. The bill would establish a council consisting of governor’s cabinet members, southern coalfield county officials and higher education representatives.
The West Virginia House of Delegates approved a bill, House Bill 5045, designed to help the state Department of Environmental Protection gain primary enforcement authority, or primacy, over wells to inject carbon dioxide into deep rock formations for long-term underground storage. The bill now goes before the Senate, in which another version of the bill has advanced.