Resident concerns linger over West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection consideration of an air quality permit renewal application for an Institute chemical manufacturer. If approved, Specialty Products would keep emitting ethylene oxide, a carcinogen whose emissions have driven up the area s cancer risk.
The West Virginia Legislature is showing little sign through a quarter of the 2023 state regular legislative session of strengthening air quality and other environmental protections in a state of high concentrations of air pollution from chemical, gas and oil infrastructure. Instead, a bill introduced by House Energy and Manufacturing Committee Chair Bill Anderson, R-Wood, would keep the state Department of Environmental Protection from using community air monitoring data for regulatory purposes.