Opinion
The Editorial category is a roundup of links to editorials and columns from West Virginia newspapers.
Opinion: The Distressed and Failing Utilities Improvement Act
By Charlotte Lane, chair West Virginia Public Service Committee Last year the West Virginia State Legislature passed the Distressed and Failing Utilities Improvement Act in order to ensure that as many West Virginians as possible have clean, reliable drinking water and sanitary sewer service. Many of the state’s smaller water[Read More…]
Opinion: Annual decline in business travel emphasizes continued need for hotel relief in West Virginia
West Virginia projected to end 2021 down $144,662,812 in business travel revenue compared to 2019 The West Virginia Hospitality & Travel Association While leisure travel in West Virginia remains significant and stable, the hotel industry in West Virginia is still projected to end 2021 down $144,662,812 in business travel revenue[Read More…]
Opinion: NRGRDA strategy to prioritize coal-to-products commercialization to revitalize southern West Virginia economy
By Jina Belcher Ground zero for federal efforts to boost communities reeling from the downturn in coal as a major economic driver is focused on southern West Virginia — where I and many of my close colleagues were born, have lived, studied, and worked our entire lives. Acknowledging that the predominance of coal for power generation is fading, the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA) recognizes that West Virginia continues to have metallurgic-grade[Read More…]
Opinion: Your Voice Counts
By Charlotte Lane West Virginia Public Service Chair Everyone wants his/her voice to be heard – especially in matters that have a direct impact on his/her daily lives and their budgets. When the Public Service Commission is considering the various aspects of a case that will affect the general public,[Read More…]
Opinion: W.Va. Delegate Lovejoy urges Congress to fight child hunger in West Virginia by supporting Build Back Better Agenda
By W.Va. Delegate Chad Lovejoy, D-Cabell 17th District in the West Virginia House of Delegates Children across West Virginia have been experiencing food insecurity for far too long. As a father of four, it breaks my heart to know that right now 1 in 5 children in West Virginia is[Read More…]
Opinion: Afghan surrender or hand-off?
By Mac WarnerWV Secretary of State As Afghanistan falls to Islamic fundamentalists, our sustained involvement with a haphazard withdrawal prompts the question, “was it worth it?” The shocking images out of Kabul shout no; yet there were benefits from our 20-year engagement. The Army’s mission is to deter war, and when deterrence fails, to fight and[Read More…]
Opinion: West Virginia’s quick thinking on telehealth saved lives during the pandemic — and the best is yet to come
By Jason Huffman and Gaylene Miller The COVID-19 pandemic presented an immense challenge for West Virginia. Of the state’s 55 counties, 54 are classified as, at least in part, health care shortage areas. Lawmakers were tasked with figuring out how to deliver health care to nearly 1.8 million West Virginians separated by long distances and difficult terrain. But officials had to[Read More…]
Opinion: West Virginia and the value of National Gas
By Tim Miley Recently, United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm visited West Virginia to tour the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown. She learned firsthand that this region is vastly different from other areas around the nation in its natural gas production. When compared to the rest of the[Read More…]
Opinion: West Virginia should be smart about the future
What if college was free for all West Virginians? By Don Smith Executive Director of the West Virginia Press Association What is the “the future of West Virginia”? Each year government leadership offers a new economic plan in hopes of improving the future of West Virginia. New ideas are good.[Read More…]