Public News Service

Solar panels on the roof of Lifeline Church of God in Princeton, W.Va. (Resource Rural)

Federal funding reduces barriers to solar for WV schools, churches

Wayne County Schools and a church in Princeton have installed solar panels with help from the Inflation Reduction Act, local grants and solar …

From 2011 to mid-2020, 95 gigawatts of coal capacity was closed or switched to another fuel and another 25 gigawatts is slated to shut down by 2025, according to federal data. (Adobe Stock)

West Virginia’s PSC faces lawsuit over coal-plant directive

The Public Service Commission of West Virginia is facing legal challenges for its 2021 directive that Appalachian Power increase the usage of three of…

Health effects from exposure toxic algae include skin rashes, headaches, vomiting, pneumonia and more, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. (Adobe Stock/AI-generated)<br />

Toxic algae blooms are on the rise in WV, industrial farming a driving cause

Harmful algae bloom events are increasing, according to a recent analysis of EPA data from the advocacy group Environment America and have occurred …

According to a June 2024 survey from The Pew Research Center, 33% of Americans think installing a solar panel farm in their community would help their local economy, while just 7% think it would hurt it. (Adobe Stock)<br />

WV green lights solar plant construction, advocates rally against rising utility bills

Residents in Nicholas and Clay counties could soon receive their electricity from a local solar plant, estimated to power around 90,000 homes in the …

Research shows global plastic production has surged from 15 million tons per year in 1964 to more than 450 million tons per year today. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Biodegradable plastics more marketing than environmentally friendly

As West Virginia opens its door to the plastics recycling or "advanced recycling" industry, a recent report found only a fraction of plastics are …

A zombie mine is shown in Clintwood, Kentucky. (Erin Savage)

Zombie mines continue to pose environmental, health threats to Appalachia

West Virginia and other Appalachian states are littered with hundreds of "zombie mines," abandoned mines neither producing coal nor undergoing reclama…

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated a total of $16 billion to address legacy pollution, including $11.3 billion in Abandoned Mind Land funding over 15 years. (Adobe Stock)<br />

WV receives $140 million to clean up abandoned mine lands

West Virginia will receive $140 million to clean up legacy pollution in regions decimated by decades of coal mining. The money is part of $725 …

Republican West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is leading more than two dozen states in a lawsuit aimed at overturning the Environmental Protection Agency's recently released power plant regulations. (Adobe Stock)

Scorecard: How WV lawmakers vote on clean air, water

As West Virginia leads a group of states in a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency's new emissions rules for power plants, a recent …

The 17,371 acre Dolly Sods Wilderness in the Monongahela National Forest is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System, according to the U.S. Forest Service. (Adobe Stock)<br />

After Alaskan mining decision, other states may step up conservation efforts

The Biden administration has denied approval for a project to build more than 200 miles of road in the Alaskan wilderness. On this Earth Day…

According to the West Virginia Historical Society, the state had among the highest concentrations of chemical plants in the United States for nearly a century. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Experts: EPA chemical plant emissions rule a win for WV communities

Chemical plants in West Virginia and other states will be required to curb emissions of toxic, cancer causing pollutants - such as ethylene oxide…

A more diversified economy, including solar energy, is stopping the

putting people in West Virginia to work through paid on-the-job training. (Adobe Stock)">

Reimagining WV coal country by building on state’s legacy as an energy provider

By Ramona Schindelheim for WorkingNation.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for West Virginia News Service reporting for the WorkingNation-Public New…

According to the U.S. Forest Service, West Virginia has more than 15,000 acres of state-owned lands. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Concerns voiced about language in WV forest management bill

The West Virginia Senate has passed a bill to allow private forest fire management on state lands but environmental groups said they are concerned its…

The New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia. In 2023, the U.S. Forest Service and AmeriCorps signed a five-year agreement to establish the Forest Corps, to create job opportunities that reduce wildfire risk, support reforestation and make national forests and grasslands healthier and more resilient. (Adobe Stock)

American Climate Corps: Building more climate-resilient WV communities

A Biden administration program, the American Climate Corps, aims to hire and train 20,000 people in conservation, climate and clean energy jobs…

Federal data show millions of people live in counties lacking adequate air monitoring, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. (Adobe Stock)<br />

WV bill threatens community air monitoring efforts

After West Virginia House lawmakers advanced a bill to ban residents from using citizen air monitoring data in lawsuits, community groups said they …

In 2021, approximately 368 stream miles throughout West Virginia and Virginia were designated as critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act for the endangered candy darter. (Adobe Stock)

WV groups sue Forest Service over Cherry River watershed protections

West Virginia environmental groups have sued the Forest Service for failing to protect streams in the Cherry River watershed from the impacts of coal …

Nationwide, in the second quarter of 2022, residential solar set its fifth consecutive quarterly growth record, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. (Adobe Stock)

Pressure mounts on WV’s utility regulator to preserve solar net-metering

Residents and advocacy groups will rally in Charleston this Saturday to protect net-metering for solar customers. Two of West Virginia's major …

Appalachia is home to 26.3 million people and covers 206,000 square miles, encompassing 423 counties in 13 states, according to the Appalachian Regional Commission. (Adobe Stock)

Clean-energy sector manufacturing may jumpstart West Virginia’s economy

Manufacturers in West Virginia employ around 7% of the state's workforce, and advocates say the state's Appalachian region could bolster its economy …

More than half of West Virginians live within a mile of an oil and gas well, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. (Adobe Stock)<br />

New federal methane rules expected to improve WV air quality

The Environmental Protection Agency is clamping down on methane emissions, and environmental groups say West Virginians' health will benefit…

In the second quarter of 2022, nationwide residential solar set its fifth consecutive quarterly growth record, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. (Adobe Stock)<br />

WV utilities propose slashing energy credit in half for customers with solar panels

Major utilities in West Virginia, Mon Power and Potomac Edison, want to reduce the credit their solar customers get for producing power the utilities …

Streams play a critical role in carrying sediments, nutrients and other materials into rivers and lakes and on to the ocean, according to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. (Adobe Stock) <br />

EPA cites hundreds of WV streams as impaired

The federal Environmental Protection Agency says West Virginia isn't accurately keeping track of how many of the state's streams are polluted…

Virginia and West Virginia residents say they're worried about the safety of a natural-gas pipeline that, once built, will run for more than 300 miles through their communities. (Facebook/Appalachians Against Pipelines)

Communities concerned about MVP pipeline water pollution, explosion risk

After a federal appeals court this week denied a request from a group of Virginia landowners to stop construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline on t…

Nationwide, experts say aging fossil-fuel-based energy infrastructure isn't designed to withstand the extreme weather conditions driven by climate change over the next decade. (Adobe Stock)<br />

West Virginians Could Face Higher Energy Bills Under Proposed Rate Hike

West Virginia residents' electricity rates have nearly doubled over the past decade - and may soon climb higher, under a nearly $650 million rate …

Cumulative community solar capacity has grown by about 121% year over year since 2010, more than doubling in capacity on average, according to research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. (Adobe Stock)<br />

As Utility Cost Burden Increases, WV Counties Look to Community Solar

Interest in community solar is on the rise, as a greater share of West Virginians' household incomes go toward utility bills. Federal data show …

A new study reveals extent of the public health harms of U.S. oil and gas production, including more than $77 billion in human health damages nationwide. (Adobe Stock)

WV Among Top States for Public Health Harms from Fossil Fuels

Ozone, fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide from the oil and gas sector in 2016 caused more than $77 billion in human health damages …

Hundreds of environmental groups have voiced strong opposition to construction of the multi-billion-dollar natural gas Mountain Valley Pipeline, which would stretch more than 300 miles through Virginia and West Virginia. (Adobe Stock)

WV Enviro Groups Call MVP Greenlight a 'Terrible Precedent'

A 300-mile-long fracking pipeline project slated to cross numerous streams and rivers in West Virginia and Virginia got a major boost over the weekend…

Wetlands are valuable for flood protection, water quality improvement, shoreline erosion control, and provide habitat for thousands of species, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.(Adobe Stock)<br />

WV Conservation Groups 'Troubled' by SCOTUS Wetlands Decision

Since the U.S. Supreme Court has sided with private property owners in a battle of over wetland protections and the Clean Water Act, West Virginia …

Community solar projects can make solar energy accessible to residents who may not be able to install solar panels on their own home, according to the National Association of Home Builders. (Adobe Stock)<br />

In WV, Community Solar Gains Popularity Amid Rising Utility Bills

Amid rising energy costs and inflation, energy advocates said they have seen a jump in interest in community solar. Luanne McGovern, legislative …

The Ohio River is the source of drinking water for more than 5 million people, according to the Ohio River Foundation. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Report Ranks Ohio River 'Second Most Endangered' in Nation

The Ohio River, a drinking water source for many West Virginians and millions in neighboring states, is the second "most endangered" river in the …

Research shows West Virginia's Corridor H highway could potentially impact threatened and endangered species such as the West Virginia flying squirrel. (Adobe Stock)

After WV Town Greenlights Corridor H Highway, Residents Want Input

Residents in West Virginia want more input on a four-lane highway slated to cut through the towns of Thomas and Davis, continuing over the Blackwater …

Nearly a quarter of coal-fired power plants in the U.S. are expected to retire by 2029, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. (Adobe Stock)

Aging WV Power Plant Slated to Close, Utilities Propose Keeping It Open

An aging power plant in Belmont, West Virginia is slated to shut its doors this year. But two utilities, Monongahela Power Company and Potomac Edison…

Blue hydrogen is produced mainly from natural gas, using a process called steam reforming, which brings together natural gas and heated water in the form of steam, and releases carbon dioxide as a byproduct, according to the National Grid Group.(Adobe Stock)

WV Ratepayers Could Foot the Bill for Proposed 'Blue' Hydrogen Hub

The federal government is on the verge of announcing which states will receive $2 billion to create "blue" hydrogen hubs, and West Virginia, along …

The U.S. oil and gas industry emits 16 million metric tons of methane annually, which has the same near-term climate impact as 350 coal-fired power plants, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. (Adobe Stock)

New EPA Rules Would Target Flaring at WV’s Oil, Gas Wells

Under proposed rules from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, oil and gas well operations across the nation would be required to strengthen …

Medical conditions due to exposure to PFAS chemicals in drinking water and by other means have cost the United States an estimated $62.6 billion, according to a July 2022 study published in the journal Exposure and Health. (Adobe Stock)

West Virgina Lawmakers Push to Regulate 'Forever' PFAS Chemicals

West Virginia lawmakers are expected to introduce legislation in 2023 aimed at regulating PFAS chemicals in the state's drinking-water systems…

Inflation Reduction Act includes tax credits, loan guarantees and other incentives to encourage the implementation of carbon-capture technology. (Adobe Stock)">

Critics: WV Carbon Capture Hub a Boondoggle, Empty Promises

President Joe Biden's infrastructure law contains $10 billion to sow the seeds for the creation of pipelines to capture, transport and store carbon …

More than 144,000 oil and gas wells are located in West Virginia, according to the American Geological Sciences Institute. (Adobe Stock)

Spotlight on Manchin as EPA Boosts Methane Rules

The Environmental Protection Agency said it plans to tighten up proposed rules aimed at curbing methane emissions from oil and gas wells, the largest …

Hundred-year-old trees, such as those found in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest, continue to soak up carbon over time, according to research published in the journal Nature. (Adobe Stock)

West Virginia Groups Rally to Protect Old-Growth Trees

The U.S. Forest Service plans to chop down what conservation groups say are large swaths of old-growth trees in the Monongahela National Forest…

Recent drinking water data from six states shows nearly 20% of states' drinking water systems had PFAS above the Environmental Protection Agency's 2022 interim revised health advisory levels. (Adobe Stock)<br />

New Report Highlights PFAS Contamination in West Virginia

A new report finds concerning levels of PFAS contamination in waterways near Martinsburg and Parkersburg. Environmental groups say the findings are …

A bridge pier slide area in the Kerens-to-Parsons section of the under-construction Corridor H highway project near Moore, West Virginia. (Pamela Moe)<br />

Many WV Small Businesses Want Northern Route for Corridor H Highway

Small businesses in Thomas and Davis say they would prefer a planned four-lane highway to be rerouted north, instead of running through what they say …

Research from 2015 revealed a federal estimate of more than 48,000 abandoned coal mine sites across the nation, but exact numbers remain unclear. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Reclaiming Degraded Lands Could Help Fight Climate Change

Thousands of former mines, brownfield sites, and orphaned oil and gas wells are scattered across West Virginia, and a new report from the National …

In 2021, there were fewer than 12,000 coal miners employed in West Virginia, according to state data. (Adobe Stock)

West Virginians Draw from Within to Rebuild Communities

By Quincy Gray McMichael for Yes! Media. Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for West Virginia News Service, Reporting for the YES! Media-Public News …

West Virginia has the potential to create more than 1,000 solar energy jobs, and nearly 3,000 energy efficiency jobs by 2030 and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, according to data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. (Adobe Stock)

Inflation Reduction Act: A Pathway to Transition WV from Coal

West Virginia residents stand to gain from the tax credits through the Inflation Reduction Act. The legislation, supported by Sen. Joe Manchin…

Corridor H Highway Project construction in Tucker County, West Virginia. (W.Va. Dept. of Transportation)

As Corridor H Takes Shape, Environmental Groups Urge Protection of Falls

West Virginia has received federal Infrastructure Bill funding to complete the Corridor H Highway, a four-lane route beginning in Tucker County and …

Research shows just 5% of power plants are responsible for 73% of the planet's emissions of carbon dioxide. (Adobe stock)<br />

Experts: Incentives for Renewables Even More Critical

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey was at the center of the Supreme Court's recent decision to curb the ability of the Environmental Prot…

The Albright Dam is the last dam in West Virginia on the Cheat River, and environmental groups say it has long been an impediment to fish migration. (Joey Kimmet/Friends of the Cheat)

Albright Dam Removal Part of National River Cleanup Effort

Environmental groups say removing the Albright Dam on the Cheat River will help restore fish populations, improve water quality and expand outdoor …

The West Virginia Flood Tool is designed to provide floodplain managers, insurance agents, developers, real estate agents, local planners and citizens with an effective means by which to make informed decisions about the degree of flood risk for a specific area or property. (Adobe Stock)

WV Has 'One Chance' To Improve Flood Preparedness

The mayor of Huntington, where more than 200 homes were recently damaged by severe flooding, said now is the state's "one chance" to prevent other …

The West Virginia Emergency Management Division is asking residents of Cabell, Putnam and Roane counties to document and report damage from recent floods using an online damage-assessment tool to help determine eligibility for federal assistance. (Adobe Stock)

After Huntington Damage, WV Flood-Planning Event Takes Center Stage

Less than two weeks after the mayor of Huntington issued an emergency declaration over the second large-scale flooding episode to hit the city in the …

Nationwide, low-producing oil and gas wells leak roughly 4 million metric tons of methane emissions per year, according to new data from the Environmental Defense Fund. (Adobe Stock)<br /><br />

WV’s Low-Output Oil, Gas Wells Big Contributors to Methane Emissions

Smaller oil and gas wells churn out roughly half the nation's overall methane emissions and contribute significantly to climate change, according to …

A court has ruled the Mountain Valley Pipeline can change its crossing method for around 180 bodies of water and wetlands, and dig tunnels under, rather than through, them. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Routing MV Pipeline Under Streams, Wetlands Called Habitat Risk

Mountain Valley Pipeline developers are now allowed to dig tunnels below streams and wetlands, and environmental groups say they are concerned about …

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WV: Environment