West Virginia has long powered America. Our coal-fired plants remain the backbone of reliable electricity, keeping costs stable and supporting thousands of jobs.
This past legislative session, I sponsored the Coal Renaissance Act to strengthen our energy future and protect jobs.
Now, Senator Rollan Roberts and I will introduce legislation to stop the utilities from raising rates unless they’re running coal-fired plants at least 69% capacity, the standard the Public Service Commission (PSC) recommends.
Recently, working with Senator Rollan Roberts, we called for an investigation from the PSC into the utilities and pushed them to justify every increase…we will continue holding them accountable.
I questioned AEP directly under testimony about why southern West Virginia’s power rates are higher. They claimed it’s because we don’t have enough people to spread out fixed costs but when pressed, they couldn’t say how many would be “enough” to lower rates. This leads us to believe they will raise rates no matter what… if we allow them to.
The truth is, using more coal creates good-paying jobs, strengthens local economies, and helps keep people here. This directly undercuts AEP’s narrative for why rates keep rising.
West Virginians should remember that the utilities are government regulated monopolies, guaranteed not to lose money. When rates go up, it’s hard working families and small business footing the bill, not the utilities.
At the same time, the Green New Deal crowd has pushed intermittent, heavily tax p
ayer subsidized renewables. Solar and wind cannot provide continuous baseload power, and because of taxpayer-funded subsidies, renewable producers have even been able to bid below zero, distorting markets and hurting coal communities.
Our approach is simple: reliable, affordable energy for West Virginians. Protecting coal — while also valuing our natural gas resources means jobs, dependable power, and predictable bills for families.
West Virginia’s future must be built on common sense which is dependable baseload power. Our communities deserve an energy policy shaped here at home, not one driven by subsidies and left wing politics.
