Morrisey Lays Out Vision For State’s Economic Future

Business and government leaders are meeting at the Greenbrier Resort this week to discuss West Virginia’s economic future. 

For close to 90 years, The West Virginia Chamber Annual Meeting and Business Summit has aimed to “chart a course for a better, stronger, more resilient state.”

Gov. Patrick Morrisey told the summit Thursday he wants to make West Virginia “the shining state in the mountains.”

“To build the shining state that our citizens deserve, we all need to be on Team West Virginia, working together and strategically investing in our state’s strengths,” he said. “Big news is going to be coming soon, and it’s going to show the fruits of our labor.”

Morrisey said West Virginia needs to focus on fundamentals like higher educational attainment, physical & digital infrastructure and workforce participation to improve the state’s economy.

“I think West Virginia deserves a state government that works for them and prioritizes these issues,” he said.

Morrisey envisioned harnessing the state’s energy resources to attract a burgeoning, power-hungry tech industry as a path to a flourishing state economy.

“We’re laser focused to build out our energy prowess while taking advantage of the new opportunities that technology brings us,” he said. “I believe West Virginia flourishes if it can lead the nation in the intersection of energy and technology.”

The governor has already taken steps to do so with the passage of bills like HB 2004 earlier this year, which smoothed the path for independent microgrids that will be needed to power data centers. Two such projects in Mingo County and Tucker County are already in the permitting stage.

Another, related focus of Morrisey’s statements was the need to cut red tape. He highlighted the passage of House Bill 2002, establishing a one-stop-shop for obtaining and renewing permits, licenses, and business registrations.

“We need our government to move even faster than the speed of business, and the policies that we’re doing are designed to accomplish just that,” he said. 

Creating an appealing tax structure for business was also a priority highlighted in the governor’s speech.

“There have been some good things done in that area,” Morrisey said. “We have to go a lot further, once again, taking that ‘Backyard Brawl’ concept and saying in all the key areas to have more competition, we have to have lower taxes on the type of issues that motivate people to live in West Virginia, to work here, to play here.”