The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

April 1, 2009

Senate gives nod to Manchin’s energy portfolio

Mannix Porterfield

CHARLESTON — Gov. Joe Manchin’s call to expand West Virginia’s energy base beyond traditional sources, including nuclear power, cleared the Senate without debate Wednesday.

Under terms of the measure, now en route to the House of Delegates, one-fourth of all electricity sold in West Virginia must come from an alternative or renewal source in 16 years.

Judiciary Chairman Jeffrey Kessler, D-Kanawha, pointed out the bill sets thresholds of 10 percent by 2019 and another 15 percent from 2020 to 2024.

Kessler said the bill is intended to provide some alternative sources and guarantees some credits and other incentives to meet those goals.

Voting against the measure were Sens. Karen Facemyer, R-Jackson, and Mike Hall, R-Putnam.

Until a few days ago, nuclear power — which Manchin insisted in a meeting with The Register-Herald editorial board should be in any energy portfolio — was missing.

Debate intensified early on in this session over a small but powerful phrase in State Code that imposed an “effective ban” on nuclear, Sen. Brooks McCabe, D-Kanawha, said.

By that, state law forbid any nuclear sites without a guaranteed site to dispose of radioactive wastes.

However, at the time he pushed an expansion into nuclear power, McCabe pointed out that no such installations likely were feasible for at least a decade, and probably longer.

Energy, Industry and Mining Chairman Mike Green, D-Raleigh, decided to set up a special subcommittee to explore McCabe’s bill, and that panel decided this is not the time to deal with nuclear power.

But when Manchin’s bill went before the Senate Finance Committee, it was amended to embrace not only nuclear but natural gas.

“Our purpose is to stay ahead and be proactive in what we do here in West Virginia,” Green said before the Senate took up the measure.

McCabe said he was assured by several leaders in coal production that the industry has no qualms about West Virginia entering the nuclear business.

“They understand the bigger picture,” McCabe said earlier.

“We’re all in this to try to position West Virginia to be a predominant producer, a major producer of energy.”

Besides nuclear and the more traditional sources, the bill blankets the entire spectrum of energy — including wind and solar.

— E-mail:

mannix@register-herald.com

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