WV Senate President says his signature bill will 'protect' coal companies. But the industry itself i

Days before the start of the 2022 legislative session, Senate President Craig Blair virtually addressed a crowd of reporters from the desk in his Senate office. It was the state press association’s annual legislative event where West Virginia leaders show off what they’re looking to accomplish in the coming 60-day session.

One of his priorities, Blair, R-Berkeley, told reporters, was legislation creating a state-funded insurance company to help mine operators otherwise unable to get reclamation bonds, as the private market for bonds dries up in the face of coal’s massive economic decline.

Blair described the bill as so important that it would be the first introduced in his chamber — Senate Bill 1. He said the measure was “sorely needed to protect the mining industry.”

But just two days earlier, behind the scenes, the coal industry had rejected that assessment.

Read more: https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2022/02/21/wv-coal-didnt-want-mine-reclamation-bill/