Associated Press, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Petition Aims to Reduce Emissions in W.Va.

Eight Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states are petitioning the Environmental Protection Agency to require nine upwind states to cut down air pollution emissions.

The petition is aimed at West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia. It seeks a reduction in emissions carried by prevailing winds that contribute to the formation of ozone in the downwind states.

States filing the petition Monday are Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The petition seeks what it says are long-overdue commitments from the upwind states to protect the health of downwind residents and to level the playing field for businesses.

The EPA is required to approve or disapprove of the petition within 18 months.

State's Court E-Filing System Being Put to Test Tuesday

A Fairmont attorney is days away from making judicial history in West Virginia.

     Attorney J. Scott Tharp will file a civil suit on line Tuesday in Marion County Circuit Court, testing West Virginia’s new e-filing system.

     The court’s clerk, Rhonda Starn, told The State Journal the e-filing system will save counties thousands of dollars and won’t cost a single job.

     The West Virginia Supreme Court is picking up the tab for the statewide technology upgrade.

     Matt Arrowood is director of the court’s division overseeing circuit clerk services. He said the Marion County e-filing system will work out any bugs before it’s rolled out statewide.

WVU Board Makes Recommendation for Interim President, Doesn't Announce Name

West Virginia University’s Board of Governors has recommended the hiring of an interim president.

     Without announcing a name, the board forwarded its recommendation for Jim Clements’ temporary replacement to the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. The commission meets Friday in South Charleston.

     WVU Board chairman James Dailey says the board is “thrilled” with its selection.

     The WVU board also set a goal of having a permanent president in place by next fall.

     Clements accepted the presidency of Clemson University in November.

CONSOL Completes Sale of 5 W.Va. Mines to Murray

CONSOL Energy Inc. says it has completed the sale of subsidiary Consolidation Coal Company to Murray Energy.

     The sale includes five longwall mines in West Virginia. They include the McElroy, Shoemaker, Robinson Run, Loveridge and Blacksville No. 2 mines.

     The deal also gives Ohio-basedMurray Energy about 1.1 billion tons of coal reserves.

     Murray Energy paid $850 million in cash and will take $2.4 billion in liabilities off CONSOL’s balance sheets.

     Pennsylvania-based CONSOL said Thursday in a news release that Murray Energy also is taking on its pension obligations with the United Mine Workers of America.

     The West Virginia mines produced a combined 28.5 million tons of thermal coal in 2012.

Fewer West Virginia High School Students Lighting Up

Youth tobacco use in West Virginia is declining based on just released data.

The 2013 West Virginia Youth Tobacco Survey indicates that the percentage of high school students who reported they have never tried or used any form of tobacco has gone from a little over 20% in 2000 to 46% in 2013.

The data indicates the programs and outreach efforts by the Bureau for Public Health are working, according to Dr. Letitia Tierney, State Health Officer and Commissioner of the Bureau for Public Health.

In a statement today she attributes much of the anti-tobacco success to the West Virginia teen-led tobacco prevention movement called Raze, which has a membership of 4,000 youth.

Tierney said the improvements that have occurred over the last ten years are worth celebrating. She said we’re not where we want to be as a state, but we are seeing measurable improvements.

The report indicates 18% of West Virginia high school students are smokers, a 52% improvement from 38.5% in 2000.

State Supreme Court Upholds Monsanto Settlement

The state Supreme Court has upheld a judge’s approval of Monsanto Co.’s massive settlement with thousands of West Virginia residents.

     In a 4-1 decision Friday, the court affirmed a January ruling approving the class-action settlement of a lawsuit alleging that the Nitro community was contaminated with dioxin from the former Monsanto chemical plant. The plaintiffs said Monsanto polluted their community by burning waste from production of the defoliant Agent Orange.

     Under the $93 million settlement, thousands of Nitro-area residents will be eligible for medical monitoring and property cleanups.

     The Charleston Gazette reports that the court’s majority said it found “no substantial question of law and no prejudicial error” in various appeals of the settlement order.

     Chief Justice Brent Benjamin dissented.