West Virginians are opening their electric bills with a growing sense of frustration — and for good reason. Across the country, energy costs are rising, reliability is declining, and families are paying the price for policies driven more by ideology than common sense.
That’s why it should alarm every American that nine governors have now publicly raised concerns or called for their states to withdraw from the PJM regional transmission organization — the nation’s largest power grid, which controls electricity for 65 million people, including West Virginia.
This isn’t coincidence. It’s consequence.
PJM was designed to ensure affordable, reliable electricity. But today, it has become a vehicle for forced “energy transitions” that sideline dependable baseload power — coal and natural gas — in favor of subsidized, intermittent sources that simply cannot carry the load.
As a fourth-generation coal miner and a West Virginia State Senator, I’ve seen firsthand what reliable power looks like — and what happens when policymakers forget how electricity actually works.
Energy Reality vs. Energy Fantasy
Coal and natural gas are not relics of the past. They are the backbone of the American grid.
Yet PJM continues to approve policies that:
• Prematurely retire coal plants
• Restrict natural gas development
• Over-subsidize wind and solar that only work when the weather cooperates
• Shift costs onto ratepayers and working families
The result?
Higher bills.
Greater risk of blackouts.
Less energy independence.
Governors across the Midwest, South, and Mid-Atlantic aren’t calling out PJM because they oppose clean air or innovation. They’re doing it because their citizens are paying more for less reliable power — and they’ve had enough.
West Virginia Is the Solution — Not the Problem
Here’s the truth many refuse to say out loud: West Virginia coal and natural gas are the solution to America’s energy crisis.
Our state sits on some of the richest energy resources in the world. We have:
• World-class coal reserves
• Abundant natural gas
• Skilled workers who know how to produce energy safely and responsibly
• Infrastructure already built and paid for
Coal plants operate 24/7. Natural gas stabilizes the grid. Together, they deliver the affordable, reliable electricity that keeps factories running, hospitals powered, and homes warm.
And unlike foreign energy sources, West Virginia energy is American energy — mined by American workers, under American environmental standards, strengthening American independence.
The Path Forward
If PJM cannot or will not prioritize reliability and affordability, then states are right to question whether remaining in the system serves their people.
But the broader solution is clear:
• Stop punishing coal and gas
• End mandates that pick winners and losers
• Restore common-sense energy policy
• Let reliable power compete fairly
West Virginia should not apologize for producing the energy America needs. We should lead — proudly and unapologetically.
When families are struggling to pay their bills and governors are threatening to walk away from the grid, the answer isn’t more bureaucracy or more regulations.
The answer is West Virginia coal and West Virginia natural gas — powering America the way we always have.
