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Committee rewrites comprehensive energy bill to emphasize coal and gas, adds coke-production provisions
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Summary
The committee adopted a strike-and-insert for the engrossed committee substitute for House Bill 53 81 that expands the Office of Energy’s powers, emphasizes baseload coal and gas development, shortens PSC siting timelines and incorporates provisions advancing metallurgical coal and coke-production projects; Delegate Henry Dillon explained House amendments focused on removing many references to renewables and adding affordability criteria.
The Senate Energy, Industry and Mining Committee adopted multiple amendments to the engrossed committee substitute for House Bill 53 81 and voted to report the measure to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass as amended.
Committee counsel summarized the strike-and-insert as empowering the Office of Energy to develop a comprehensive energy development policy and grid stabilization plan, to move the Office of Coalfield Community Development under the Office of Energy and to test the stability of West Virginia’s grid through biennial exercises. Counsel said the strike-and-insert incorporates provisions of previous Senate bills, removes some references to intermittent or renewable electricity resources, and shortens the Public Service Commission’s timeline to issue a final order on a siting certificate from 270 days to 180 days. Counsel said the amendment removed a provision treating a coal-fired facility’s failure to maintain 69% utilization as noncompliance and made other technical changes.
Delegate Henry Dillon (District 29) was called to explain two House-floor amendments he offered. He told the committee he had added language in the House version that removed references to renewables in more than 30 locations, refocused the plan on coal and gas, and inserted affordability criteria intended to make West Virginia competitive on comprehensive energy cost. Dillon also described an amendment to the Coalfield Revitalization Act that would require the Division of Economic Development to identify a site for coke production within one of the counties covered by that bill. "It called for the division of economic development to establish a site and locate that within one of the counties that was within that bill," Dillon said.
Senators debated elements including limited references to nuclear energy and hydrogen; a senator requested the hydrogen language be struck. The vice chair expressed concern about a proposed three-year moratorium on utility rates in the amendment and said he was uncomfortable inserting the Legislature into utility rate decisions. After debate the committee adopted the Logan amendments, adopted the strike-and-insert as amended and reported the bill to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass as amended.
The committee’s votes were taken by voice, with the chair announcing the ayes carried.
