The committee met with representatives from the state’s
Division of Energy and the Office of Coalfield Community Development.
Chair Ron Stollings (D-Boone) says West
Virginia’s economic future definitely needs intense
study.
“At some point in time we’re going to have to transition in
some way from being so dependent on coal to a more diverse economy,” he said. “If
nothing else comes out of this committee, it might just be shining some light
on that aspect, and maybe a resolution to continue to study.”
Jeff Herholdt of the Division of Energy laid out some
projects that are already underway on former surface mine sites—like the
Hatfield McCoy trail and the Boy Scout High Adventure Base in Fayetteville.
Senators proposed a more liberal use of dams as flood
control and a possible source of hydroelectricity.
Herholdt also mentioned alternative coal technologies taking
off in the state, like carbon capture and sequestration and a proposed
coal-to-liquids plant in Mingo County.
He says the response so far has been overwhelmingly positive.
“They’re seeking a permit as a minor pollutant source, this
is 3 million tons of coal a year, making 18,000 barrels of oil a day as a minor
pollutant source,” he said. “This is indicative of where clean coal
technologies have come.”
Another potential source of energy, he says, is from wood.
Sen. Walt Helmick (D-Pocahontas) was skeptical, questioning the large number of
wood it takes to make a negligible amount of electricity.
“A million acres per 1000 megawatts,” Helmick said.
“If this happens, if this technology catches on, this will
be much more visible in West Virginia
than the coal industry,” Hernholdt replied.
Overwhelmingly, most of the new economic drivers discussed
in the committee were somehow linked to coal—either directly, or because they
could be set up on former mountaintop removal sites.
Jeff Wood of the Office of Coalfield Community Development says both the coal and natural gas industries are seeking alternative uses of
their waste products
“One that we’ve been asked to look at from a coal company
was the large amount of sandstone that comes out,” Wood said. “It’s not
something that you’d want to make a road completely out of, but they could
grind it up and use it on old county roads.
“The resources in the future for economic diversification
are actually coming from mining activity, and potentially natural gas could
follow the same suit when you’re looking at brine water. If you remove it, it’s
salt. That’s the oldest international commodity the planet’s ever had. That seems
to be the direction that we’ve found that things are gravitating to naturally.”
The Senate floor was uneventful today, but Sen. Robert
Plymale (D-Wayne) stood up to disagree with the governor’s suggestion that
tuition be frozen at all the state’s public colleges. He says this move would
hurt community and technical colleges.
“So it’s my feeling that we leave that up to the community and
technical college council and to the policy commission to let them make the
decisions on an individual campus by individual campus,” he said.
Manchin requested that schools freeze tuition in his
state-of-the-state address and sent a letter to the schools’ governing boards,
but hasn’t introduced any legislation on the subject.