Tag: Government Shut Down

New River Gorge National Park To Close During Government Shutdown

Across the country thousands of park rangers will be furloughed, gates will be locked, and visitor centers will be closed at national park sites, if there is a government shut down, including all of West Virginia’s national park and forest lands.

Updated on Sept. 29, 2023 at 4:14 p.m.

October is peak season for visitors at the New River Gorge National Park, but it may be forced to close as early as Sunday due to the government shutdown.

The Department of the Interior, which is responsible for managing the National Park Service, has announced that if there is a shutdown then the National Park Service will be closed. 

Across the country thousands of park rangers will be furloughed, gates will be locked, and visitor centers will be closed at national park sites, including all of West Virginia’s national park and forest lands. Areas that are impossible or impractical to restrict public access to will remain open. The park service is discouraging the public from visiting national parks and forests during the government shutdown.  

States, local governments, cooperating associations, and other third parties can donate money to keep the park running during the shutdown but that is subject to the approval of the National Park Service director. However, Gov. Jim Justice says the state has no current plan to support the park during the shutdown.

The park service will continue activities necessary to protect life and property like law enforcement and emergency response, protection of federal land, property, and waterways. 

Federal Government Shutdown Will Affect W.Va. Families, Seniors

The looming federal government shutdown will have a major effect on some of West Virginia’s most vulnerable: the very young and the elderly, when it comes to putting healthy food on the table.

The looming federal government shutdown will have a major effect on some of West Virginia’s most vulnerable, the very young and the elderly, when it comes to putting healthy food on the table. 

The state’s two major food banks, Facing Hunger in Huntington and the Mountaineer Food Bank in Gassaway, help more than a quarter million people in need. 

Facing Hunger Food Bank CEO Cyndi Kirkhart said a shutdown would immediately stop checks and meals going to tens of thousands in the WIC, or Women Infants and Children and Meals on Wheels for seniors programs.    

“There’s about 37,300 individuals in our region’s WIC program,” Kirkhart said. “Out of that number, 7,592 are women. There are 21,313 children. And then the infant’s number is 8,387. With a shutdown, the benefits will stop with immediacy.”

She said WIC families losing about $200 a month will not have the specific purchasing ability for earmarked nutritional food resources.   

“All those important foods, like milk, juice, cereal, those things that families rely on to have healthy children, suddenly become out of reach,” Kirkhart said.

Kirkhart said most of the seniors getting Meals on Wheels lack mobility. 

We have about 57,000 seniors that qualify for federally-funded programs,” Kirkhart said. “Many rely on Meals on Wheels to bring meals into their homes. What meals they don’t get from the Meals on Wheels program, they’re going to turn to the food banks, and other charitable food programs to supplant those missing meals.”

Kirkhart said depleted West Virginia Food Bank inventories still have not recovered from the pandemic, from inflation, from cutbacks and other societal variables.

“Everyone is feeling the pain of high inflation and high fuel prices so charitable giving starts to drop,” she said. “We pay more for the food that we purchase. We can’t buy as much as we have historically. And we’re trying to expand programming to do home deliveries to the seniors at a very critical time. So, it’s quite a perfect storm.” 

Kirkhart said the Facing Hunger Food Bank has strategically planned for purchases to help those who may be in immediate need. 

“We have things lined up to make additional purchases of those very food products that focus on WIC and our seniors enjoy,” she said. 

Kirkhart said people with questions on food availability can contact the Facing Hunger Food Bank at 304-523-6029. Or contact the Mountaineer Food Bank at 304-364-5518.

Possible Federal Shutdown Risks Dam Operations 

Brian Maka, public affairs officer at the Corps of Engineers, said the dam will maintain a small staff to ensure the safety of the dam. However, he says there will be some things the Corps will not be able to do. 

A federal government shutdown is expected to begin on Oct. 1 and would have an impact on West Virginia’s dams. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for running the operations at nine of West Virginia’s dams. Since it is a federally run and funded agency, it would be a part of a federal government shutdown. 

Brian Maka, public affairs officer at the Corps of Engineers, said the dam will maintain a small staff to ensure the safety of the dam. However, he says there will be some things the Corps will not be able to do. 

“Over time, that means that other things are not being done,” Maka said. “If you’re just focused on the operations, that’s all we will be manned to do. Routine things that the staff would normally do would not be done.”

He says he is still waiting to hear what the plan is if there is a government shutdown and that it’s hard to say this early what his agency will or won’t be able to do during a shutdown.

“But it’s certainly not the full complement of your workforce,” Maka said. 

Recreational releases will continue at Summersville Dam for the Gauley whitewater schedule. 

“It’s an authorized purpose of the dam to support the whitewater operations. So those releases will be done as scheduled, unless ordered otherwise,” Maka said. 

The Corps says it is still working out the details of what a shutdown could mean. 

Head Start W.Va. Worry Ahead Of Probable Government Shutdown

Hundreds of families in West Virginia could lose the support of Head Start if the government shuts down.

Federally funded programs are bracing for a potential government shutdown if Congress cannot reach a budget solution this week. 

One of those programs is West Virginia Head Start, a child-development program for children of income-eligible families to connect them with services that support health and success in school.

Approximately 722 children and families would lose access to resources if the shutdown lasts a long time, according to Lori Milam, executive director of West Virginia Head Start.

“If it’s a short shutdown, I think our programs are equipped to handle that and have plans in place for that, should it happen,” she said. “However, if it’s any amount of a long period, they would lose access very quickly. It would hurt our staff, which we’re struggling to hire and keep, as it is right now.”

In a warning, the White House estimated 10,000 children would lose access to Head Start programs across the country as the shutdown would prevent the Department of Health and Human Services from awarding grants.

“Oh, it’d be horrible,” Milam said. ”We are universal pre-K in West Virginia, so we collaborate in the school systems. We have staff in the school systems, which we know that the school systems are struggling as well to have staff. If we can’t provide the services, there’s probably no room in the school systems for them to provide their educational services, but they lose the comprehensive services that Head Start provides.”

UMWA: 'check on your buddy' during government shutdown

The United Mine Workers is reminding miners to stay safe during the government shut down. Three miners died in just as many days over the weekend. 

UMWA president Cecil Roberts is urging all miners to be especially careful at work.

Roberts said, “check on your buddy,” and “watch each other’s back.”

On Friday 62-year-old Roger R. King from Moundsville was killed after an accident at CONSOL Energy’s McElroy mine in Marshall County. He was employed as a longwall maintenance coordinator and had 42 years of mining experience.

A miner from Illinois died Saturday and another from Wyoming on Sunday. The investigations are ongoing.

This is the first time in 10 years that three miners have died three days in a row.

The deaths have occurred since the federal government shutdown began early last week. The standoff in Washington has cut back the number of mine inspectors—those working at the mining academy and field offices where specialists evaluate ventilation and roof control plans.

In the statement Roberts said he’s not trying to draw premature conclusions, but said, “it is extremely troubling that within a week after the federal government shutdown caused the normal system of mine safety inspection and enforcement to come to a halt, three miners are dead.”

MSHA sent out a release on Monday urging operators to follow safety regulations. Joe Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health said the rash in deaths “is a red flag.”

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