Tag: Energy

The Road To A Second Chance On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, a criminal record can follow a person forever – and keep them from job and housing opportunities. More than a quarter of West Virginia adults have a criminal record, even for cases with no conviction or jail time. In the latest episode of Us & Them with host Trey Kay, we look at the road toward a second chance. In this excerpt, Kay talks with 37-year-old Amber Blankenship who hopes to expunge her record.

On this West Virginia Morning, a criminal record can follow a person forever – and keep them from job and housing opportunities. More than a quarter of West Virginia adults have a criminal record, even for cases with no conviction or jail time. In the latest episode of Us & Them with host Trey Kay, we look at the road toward a second chance. In this excerpt, Kay talks with 37-year-old Amber Blankenship who hopes to expunge her record.

Listen to the latest Us & Them episode “Expungement — Between Hope and Danger” on West Virginia Public Broadcasting Thursday, Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. or on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 3 p.m. Or listen to this episode now at wvpublic.org.

Also, in this show, new companies and new jobs are coming to West Virginia. And with those jobs comes the need for workforce development and new sources of energy. On our latest episode of The Legislature Today, Curtis Tate spoke with Bill Bissett, the president of the West Virginia Manufacturers Association, and Dan Conant, founder and CEO of Solar Holler, about these issues.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Eric Douglas produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Presentation: Renewables, Gas Poised To Dominate U.S. Power Grid

Curtis Wilkerson, founder and CEO of Orion Strategies, a public relations firm, said wind and solar are now the cheapest form of electricity.

What does the future hold for electricity generation? Renewables and gas will dominate the grid in the years to come, according to a presentation given to the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia.

Curtis Wilkerson, founder and CEO of Orion Strategies, a public relations firm, said wind and solar are now the cheapest form of electricity.

“One of the things that is a large misnomer is that people think that renewables are expensive. They’re now the cheapest form of electricity,” he said. “When you look at what’s called levelized cost of electricity – that means from construction through its natural lifespan – and wind and sun don’t cost anything.”

Wilkerson said the future power needs of the country will include growth in building electrification and electric vehicles, as well as data centers.

And what was considered baseload power in the past, namely coal and nuclear, will be overtaken by renewables and gas.

“Solar in particular, has fallen 90 percent in the last 10 years, the cost. And the next cheapest form of electricity, which is largely dispatchable, is natural gas,” he said. “Notice how much more expensive coal is and how much more expensive nuclear is. And that gives you why if the projections for the United States, energy supply or electricity supply will be renewables and natural gas for many years to come.”

Gas currently supplies about 40 percent of the country’s electricity. Big growth in renewables, especially solar, is expected over the next two years.

But as Wilkerson told the trade association, electricity demand will grow, and gas can capture some of the growth along with renewables.  

State Senate Calls On Congress To Reform Energy Permitting

Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, said West Virginia is an all-of-the-above energy state and he introduced a resolution that calls on the state’s congressional delegation to reform the federal permitting process for a federal regulatory environment that encourages energy production. 

“The federal government’s permitting processes a system of unnecessarily complex, redundant and uncertain, thereby discouraging investment and job creation in the energy sector,” he said. “Delays caused by permitting inefficiencies inhibit the essential components for low cost and modern energy that are needed to support economic competitiveness, and also threaten domestic exports towards national security.”

Blair said he is the chairman of the Council of State Governments Southern Office (CSG South) as well as the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC). He said he expects the remaining 14 states in the southern group of states to present similar resolutions. 

“With CSG South and SLC we’re attempting to send a clear message to the federal government that the federal government exists for the purposes of the state, the states do not exist for the purpose of the federal government. This resolution gives us that flexibility,” Blair said. 

Senate Concurrent Resolution 16 passed the Senate unanimously and heads to the House of Delegates. 

Resolutions are not binding, and the United States is currently producing record levels of oil and gas. 

Tiny Homes, The Water Crisis And The State Of The State, This West Virginia Week

On this West Virginia Week, we began with interim meetings of the West Virginia Legislature and then the 2024 regular session kicked off on Wednesday along with Gov. Jim Justice’s final State of the State Address. 

On this West Virginia Week, we began with interim meetings of the West Virginia Legislature and then the 2024 regular session kicked off on Wednesday along with Gov. Jim Justice’s final State of the State Address. 

We hear about a new program to build tiny homes for kids aging out of the foster care system and a look back at the West Virginia Water Crisis. There are also stories about Appalachian Power’s request to bill customers for an extra $231 million, and we have the minority response to the governor. 

News Director Eric Douglas is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.

West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week’s biggest news in the Mountain State. It’s produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Caroline MacGregor, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, and Randy Yohe.

Learn more about West Virginia Week.

Proposal To Settle Appalachian Power Fuel Costs Draws Opposition

The West Virginia Energy Users Group and the West Virginia Coal Association have proposed to pay off about $500 million in excess fuel costs incurred since 2021 by securitizing, or spreading out the payments over 20 years.

A settlement has been proposed to pay off hundreds of millions of dollars in Appalachian Power costs. But not everyone supports it.

The West Virginia Energy Users Group and the West Virginia Coal Association have proposed to pay off about $500 million in excess fuel costs incurred since 2021 by securitizing or spreading out the payments over 20 years.

However, the Public Service Commission staff, the state Consumer Advocate Division and the Kanawha County Commission oppose the deal.

It is not immediately clear what impact the settlement would have on rates. Appalachian Power customers will have to pay more per month to deal with the costs under any scenario.

The Consumer Advocate Division has asked the PSC to schedule a supplementary hearing on the settlement.

Securitization isn’t typically used to pay for routine costs such as purchasing fuel. 

Rather, it’s designed to help states retire coal-burning power plants before the end of their useful life and replace them with more economical or less carbon-intensive electricity generation.

Appalachian Power is an underwriter of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

State’s Largest Solar Facility Powers Up In Monongalia County

Mon Power’s Fort Martin solar plant spreads out on about 80 rolling acres just south of the Pennsylvania border.

The state’s largest solar generation facility came online Thursday in Monongalia County.

Mon Power’s Fort Martin solar plant spreads out on about 94 rolling acres just south of the Pennsylvania border. It generates about 19 megawatts of electricity. That’s not as much as two nearby coal-burning power plants. But for now, it is the largest solar plant in the state.

Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, is one of the legislature’s biggest supporters of renewable energy.

“We need a lot of solar electricity because there’s a lot of businesses that require it,” he said. “And they won’t come to West Virginia unless they can get it.”

Mon Power expects to complete two more solar sites this year and seek approval from state regulators for two more to be constructed next year.

The National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown said Friday it has an agreement to purchase power from the Fort Martin facility.

Want to sign up to receive solar credits? Find out how.

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