Bill Text: WV HR6 | 2019 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Recognizing the importance of West Virginia’s energy resources and critical energy infrastructure to support economic development and national security

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 12-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-03-07 - Completed legislative action [HR6 Detail]

Download: West_Virginia-2019-HR6-Introduced.html

HOUSE RESOLUTION 6

(By Delegate Higginbotham, J. Kelly, Atkinson, Harshbarger, Maynard, Linville, Summers, Kessinger, Cowles, J. Jeffries, and Mandt)

[Introduced January 17, 2019]

 

Recognizing the importance of West Virginia’s energy resources and critical energy infrastructure to support economic development and national security.

Whereas, West Virginia’s natural gas and energy reserves and production have increased significantly in recent years due to the exploration occurring in the Utica and Marcellus Shale formations; and

Whereas, West Virginia is now the ninth-largest natural gas producing state in the nation, providing five percent of our country’s total energy; and

Whereas, The natural gas and oil industry supported over 70,000 jobs both directly and indirectly and added $8 billion to the West Virginian economy; and

Whereas, Pipelines and transmission lines serve a critical role in delivering natural gas, petroleum, and electricity in order to meet our growing energy needs; and

Whereas, Denying the expansion and construction of existing and new pipeline projects  would stop the significant revitalization of communities and manufacturing industries in West Virginia; and

Whereas, The U. S. Department of Energy has identified the benefits that West Virginia can accrue with the establishment of an ethane storage and distribution hub to promote diversity of supply and geography, alleviating the strategic risk our country faces as a result of a lack of redundancy and flexibility; and

Whereas, West Virginia is business friendly and welcomes investments in the state and local economy; and

Whereas, West Virginia’s neighbors, including Ohio and Pennsylvania, have benefitted from using natural gas to attract industry; and

Whereas, The natural gas intensive industry sector in Ohio has an output of $160 billion and Pennsylvania has an output of $156 billion in comparison to West Virginia’s output of $18 billion; and

Whereas, Ohio and Pennsylvania have over 300,000 jobs in natural gas intensive industry sector while West Virginia has over 30,000 jobs in the natural gas intensive industry sector; therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Delegates:

That we, the members of the House of Delegates of the 84th Legislature of the State of West Virginia, support the ongoing and continued development of West Virginia’s energy resources, pipeline, and energy infrastructure in the State of West Virginia; and, be it

Further Resolved, That we, the members of the House of Delegates of the 84th Legislature of the State of West Virginia, support ongoing economic development efforts to attract end-users of electricity and natural gas to expand our state’s economy and create family sustaining jobs; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the United States Senate, the members of the West Virginia Congressional delegation, and the news media of West Virginia.

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