West Virginia Environmental Council ~ 2022 Legislative Session Coming Soon

The 60 day legislative session begins January 12th

The 2022 legislative session is right around the corner! Our lobby team will be in-person this year at the Capitol working hard to represent our members, people who want clean air to breathe and clean water to drink, and will be dedicated to educating legislators on our legislative priorities.

Our priorities include: (1) Climate Change, (2) Clean water including a strong water quality standards rule, (3) Clean Elections and protecting our voting rights, (4) Public Lands threatened with Off-Road vehicle use, (5) Coal Community Just Transition for West Virginia communities, (6) Adequate funding for inspectors for the Office of Oil and Gas of the DEP.

Please consider a year-end donation to support our lobby team. You can make a contribution online or mail a check to WVEC, PO Box 1007, Charleston, WV 25324

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Join the 2022 WVEC Lobby Team! — From Hannah King — The West Virginia Environmental Council (WVEC) is hiring its 2022 lobby team to provide contracted services between January 12, 2022 – March 12, 2022. Team roles will include a communications coordinator and up to two lobbyists. All positions are temporary, however, the WVEC is seeking a year-round, part-time communications and outreach coordinator and any of these positions could transition into that role for the right candidate.

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Gearing Up for the WV 2022 Legislative Session — Jim Kotcon of Sierra Club — Legislative issues will soon be dominating headlines. Some key issues will carry over from previous years, including efforts to help transition coal communities affected by the decline in the coal industry. The WV Legislature has been conducting listening sessions in coal communities to seek suggestions on how to help those communities thrive as they transition to a new economy.

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Recap of Interims & Expectations for the Legislative Session — From Hannah King — After following interim sessions throughout the year, we got a preview of the environmental bills we are likely to see during the legislative session. We will be closely watching the idea of extracting rare earth minerals/elements from treating acid mine drainage, which is beneficial for our rivers and streams and will be profitable for those who take on the task of cleaning up the AMD. While there are many things that we will potentially support, we are gearing up for harmful bills that may threaten the safety of our water, air, public lands and more.

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Save the Date for E-Day! — Note from WVEC — Join us at E-Day at the State Capitol on January 20! We are looking forward to seeing everyone face-to-face this year!

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