WV Press Release Sharing
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, issued the following statement in response to the reactivation of West Virginia’s Public Energy Authority:
“I applaud the reactivation of the Public Energy Authority and look forward to more input on ways our robust energy supply can be leveraged to support existing business and industry as well as new investments. West Virginia has played a vital role in powering the industrial heart of America for over a century. This renewed focus on the Authority will ensure the Mountain State continues doing what it is best known for and what it has done for its entire existence — power the country and the world.
To be clear, the Legislature charged this organization with promoting “reliable and dependable markets for the state’s coal, natural gas and other natural resources,” and that includes ensuring West Virginia remains fully and adequately integrated into our regional and national electricity grids so we can continue exporting power to the nation. The state of Texas showed us all back in February just how disastrous it can be when a state tries to go into the energy business as a winter storm caused days-long blackouts because Texans were unable to access electricity produced beyond their borders.
We are well positioned to continue providing energy for the nation from our coal mines, oil and natural gas wells, hydroelectric dams, wind and solar farms, and every other source of energy. It has never been more important, when so many of us are working to help West Virginia reinvent her economy, to have a dedicated team focused on all forms of energy and how it can help in those efforts.
