Tim Armstead, chief justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, declared May 'Treatment Court Month' to recognize an alternative to incarceration that addresses substance use disorder.
Home » House Finance Committee Asks Questions About Chemical Leak During DEP Budget Hearing
Published
House Finance Committee Asks Questions About Chemical Leak During DEP Budget Hearing
Listen
Share this Article
Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia DEP Randy Huffman presented the proposed budget to the committee, relating how the organization would deal with the governor’s 7.5 percent cut.
Huffman assured there would be no loss in personnel. However, paying the personnel a fair and competitive wage was a challenge.
Delegate Ron Walters asked how proposed water protection legislation would affect the DEP financially.
“We’re doing an inventory, right now,” Huffman said.
“We’re going to try in the next few days to get an estimate.”
Changing the subject from the budget to the chemical leak, Delegate Nancy Guthrie asked Huffman about proposed water protection legislation and the recent testimony and report from environmental consultants Downstream Strategies and when those suggestions should be incorporated. Huffman’s response was that he had not read the full report.
“When I read the first page of it I was disappointed and didn’t finish it,” Huffman said.
“It accused the state of having an anti-regulatory philosophy, that we failed and that we didn’t need any more legislation. Then, it said we do need more legislation and made some recommendations. So, I got confused about exactly what their position was.”
On this West Virginia Morning, a pipeline safety watchdog said federal regulators “should be on notice” about a pressure test failure on the Mountain Valley Pipeline earlier this month.
This week on Inside Appalachia, rock climbers with disabilities have found a home in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, which offers some pumpy crags. Climbers have also been working to make West Virginia's New River Gorge more inclusive. And a master craftsman, who makes one of a kind whitewater paddles remembers some advice.
On this West Virginia Morning, we speak with Judy Ball, chair of the Legislative Action Workgroup for the League of Women Voters of West Virginia, to break down the state's 2024 Legislative Scorecard. Also, we hear an excerpt from our Us & Them episode, "Compassion Fatigue."
On this West Virginia Morning, we hear from Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, chair of the West Virginia Democratic Party, on the efforts to rebuild the party and restore Democrats to state offices ahead of this primary election. Also, we hear about preservation efforts for a historic Black church in Harpers Ferry.