Tag: Health & Science

Rockefeller Still Skeptical of W.Va. Water Safety

Sen. Jay Rockefeller is still skeptical about safety of drinking water for 300,000 Charleston-area residents. At an appearance Friday in Charleston, the…

Sen. Jay Rockefeller is still skeptical about safety of drinking water for 300,000 Charleston-area residents.
 
At an appearance Friday in Charleston, the West Virginia Democrat said he would not drink tap water when he is visiting the capital city, according to the Charleston Daily Mail.
 
Rockefeller made the comments on the same day Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin lifted a state of emergency. The now-lifted emergency declaration covered nine counties affected by the Jan. 9 spill of a coal-cleaning agent into the Elk River.
 
Health officials said the water was safe to use more than a month ago, but Tomblin kept the emergency declaration in force partially because of lingering odor from some taps and showers.
 
Rockefeller said of the safety of the water supply, “You can’t be sure.”

Governor Tomblin Lifts State of Emergency Seven Weeks After Elk River Spill

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has lifted a state of emergency for nine counties in West Virginia that were affected by a chemical spill into the Elk River by Freedom Industries that tainted the drinking water supply of 300,000 residents.

Hours after a spill of the coal processing blend of MCHM and PPH was detected on January 9, nine counties surrounding the state’s capitol city of Charleston were placed under a state of emergency. Seven weeks and one day later, Tomblin has lifted the state of emergency. He’s directed state agencies to continue monitoring and responding to public health and safety concerns.

Immediately following the spill, restaurants and some local businesses were forced to close by order of the local health department. The CDC recommended that the water was appropriate for use at levels of MCHM below 1 parts per million.  This week, the federal agency was finally comfortable in saying it was safe. The state established its own testing threshold at 10 parts per billion.

West Virginia American Water began lifting the do not use ban four days after the spill and advised residents to follow a detailed flushing procedure. Some residents in the area continue to report an odor of black licorice in their water.

An independent in-home testing project is currently underway to determine odor thresholds for MCHM, as well as study the health risks associated with the chemical. Taxpayers in West Virginia are funding the nearly three quarter of a million dollar project.

W.Va. Delegation Urges CDC to Monitor Health Effects of Jan. Spill

West Virginia’s Congressional Delegation has penned a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, urging health officials to conduct further studies on the effects of the January 9 Freedom Industries chemical spill.

Senators Joe Manchin and Jay Rockefeller, along with Representatives Nick Rahall, Shelley Moore Capito and David McKinley sent the letter Thursday.

The letter supports Gov. Tomblin’s request for additional studies and health monitoring of the more than 300,000 West Virginians impacted by the spill in the Kanawha Valley.

You can read that letter here:

State Public Service Commission Pushing Alpoca Water Deal

The West Virginia Public Service Commission is just days away from issuing a final order that is expected to bring some folks in Wyoming County closer to clean water. Folks in Alpoca and Bud including Herndon Consolidated School have been on a boil water advisory since September with water running a dark brown at times.

Part of the holdup has been a business deal with the current owners and the Eastern Wyoming County Public Service District.  Public Service Commission orders issued this week are helping to move the sale along.

On Monday the state PSC approved the acquisition sale of  Alpoca Water Works, Inc., to the Eastern Wyoming Public Service District. Alpoca Water Works is a small local company that supplies water to about 170 customers.

The current system is old, and outdated. Still according to PSC documents, the Commission approved the Eastern Wyoming PSD borrowing $250,000 for the purchase and system modifications. 

The latest order indicates that the PSC is trying to push this transition by waiving the usual next step; a 30 day public comment period.

The final order is expected within the next few days but that’s not the end of water woe’s for these small Wyoming County towns.

The Eastern Wyoming PSD is seeking the above mentioned loan from the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council. The funding needs to be secured before a project to either repair or replace the existing system can begin to take place.

The order also indicates that this is the second time that “the Commission approved the transfer of all the utility assets of Alpoca to the PSD”. The first approval came in 2009 but never happened due to the rate structure.

This past fall, three years and 9 months later,  Alpoca Water and Eastern Wyoming petitioned the commission to reopen the case.

The deal between the Eastern Wyoming County PSD and Alpoca Water Works is expected to be completed by the end of March.

Logan County PSD does all the operation and maintenance for the Eastern Wyoming PSD. Logan PSD has worked to fix the filter, installed three flush valves, and other things to improve the quality.

The long-term fix is to hook up to Eastern Wyoming PSD which will allow the Bud/Alpoca area access to clean and reliable drinking water.

Logan County PSD does all the Operation and Maintenance for the Eastern Wyoming PSD.

Growers Sought for W.Va. Hops Production Research

Growers are being sought to participate in a three-year research project to determine the viability of hop production in West Virginia. The project will…

Growers are being sought to participate in a three-year research project to determine the viability of hop production in West Virginia.
 
The project will be conducted by the West Virginia State University Extension Service.

Extension agent Brad Cochran says in a news release that researchers want to determine the best varieties of hops to grow in West Virginia.
 
The goal is to foster commercial production of hops and to support the state’s brewing industry.
 
Up to six growers will be selected to participate in the project. They will collect data on the growing habits of hops.
 
Applications must be submitted by March 20. They are available online at wvstateu.edu/extension.

Manchin Looks Into Pay-To-Play-With-FDA Allegations

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia continues to express concern about alleged meetings between pharmaceutical manufacturers and officials at the…

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia continues to express concern about alleged meetings between pharmaceutical manufacturers and officials at the Food and Drug Administration who oversee safety regulations of painkiller medicine.

In the latest pay-to-play allegations on FDA approval of some highly addictive painkillers, Senator Manchin and Republican Senator David Vitter from La., sent a letter to the Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester. The letter is in regard to reports that the university hosted meetings where pharmaceutical manufacturers paid upwards of 30k per event to be able to meet with FDA officials.

The FDA recently approved Zohydro ER—a controversial new prescription painkiller—which has up to 10 times as much hydrocodone as Vicodin in an easily crushable form that can be snorted or injected.

The senators’ letter seeks clarity in understanding the role played by University of Rochester employees, federal employees, and pharmaceutical companies in altering the FDA’s approval process including information on payment transfers and lists of attendees.

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