Tag: Energy & Environment

W.Va. Sets Email for Reporting Invasive Species

West Virginia’s Department of Agriculture has established an email where the state’s residents can send pictures and descriptions of a suspected invasive pest, as well as their locations and any related damage to buildings or plants.

Department officials say landowners who email information to bugbusters@wvda.us will be notified if their tip raises concerns and someone from the agency will visit the site.

Agriculture authorities note two destructive insects, the Asian longhorned beetle and the spotted lanternfly, are on the watch list for invasive species in West Virginia.

The beetle was first found in Brooklyn in 1996 and has since been detected in several locations including Clermont County, Ohio.

The lanternfly was first discovered in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014, and detected in Delaware in November.

Both are native to Asia.

21 Organizations Get Water Quality Grants

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection says 21 organizations around the state are receiving grants to help protect the quality of the state’s rivers and streams.

A statement from the agency says $98,360 was divided among the organizations as part of the West Virginia Stream Partners Program, which is also supported by the Division of Natural Resources, the Conservation Agency and the West Virginia Division of Forestry.

The program was established by the Legislature to encourage groups to work with state agencies to keep waterways safe for swimming, fishing and other recreation and to keep an appropriate habitat for plant and animal life.

Awards for individual organizations ranged from $2,200 to $5,000.

West Virginia Grants Available for Land Protection

The West Virginia Outdoor Heritage Conservation Fund says it’s accepting grant applications for land-protection projects with up to $1.2 million that may be awarded.

According to the fund, projects can include wildlife habitats, working forests and farmlands, as well as hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation areas.

The fund has an 11-member board of trustees from the state divisions of forestry and natural resources, land trusts, outdoor recreation and sportsmen’s groups, and professionals in biology, ecology, forestry and public health.

Grant application forms are available online at www.wvcommerce.org/resources/conservation/ohcf/default.aspx.

Marshall Set to Unveil First Car Charging Station on Campus

Marshall University is set to unveil an electric car charging station.Marshall says in a news release that a ceremony is planned Friday on the Huntington…

Marshall University is set to unveil an electric car charging station.

Marshall says in a news release that a ceremony is planned Friday on the Huntington campus. The charging station, part of the university’s sustainability efforts, will be located in a parking lot adjacent to Corbly Hall.

The statement says Marshall biological sciences instructor and electric car enthusiast Rick Walker donated the charging station. It’s the first one on campus and will be available for public use.

Flood Watch Issued in West Virginia with Approaching Storm

Forecasters have issued a flood watch in much of West Virginia as a storm approaches.

The National Weather Service says the flood watch is in effect through Friday morning for about half of West Virginia’s counties.

The weather service says up to 2 inches of rain is possible, and that could contribute to ice breakup and ice jam flooding on streams and rivers.

In some higher elevations, rain is expected to change to snow Friday night, including a period of freezing rain or sleet.

The weather service says some northern counties could get a coating of ice and up to 5 inches of snow.

Sunken Towboat Leaking Oil in Big Sandy River

Updated Friday, January 12 at 11:49 a.m.

Officials say a sunken tow boat is leaking oil in the Big Sandy River on the West Virginia-Kentucky border and crews are trying to contain the spill.

A statement from the U.S. Coast Guard says crews responded Wednesday to a report of a leaking towboat that had sunk at its mooring just south of Kenova, West Virginia, and had the potential to spill 5,000 gallons into the water.

WSAZ-TV reported Thursday that cleanup crews were on the scene and a boom was placed in the water in an effort to catch the oil so it doesn’t get into the Ohio River.

The Coast Guard statement says it is investigating along with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection.

Meanwhile, the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health says customers of the water system in the city of Kenova could experience a service interruption after the system’s intake was closed due to the oil leak. Water samples are being tested but the results could take several days.

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