CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) — Delegate Joshua Higginbotham, R-Putnam, recently expressed relief that West Virginia now has a law to prohibit municipalities from banning utility companies or a customer from connecting or reconnecting to a utility, based on the energy source used by that utility.
Higginbotham was lead sponsor of House Bill 2842 during the recently adjourned 2021 regular legislative session, and the measure goes into effect July 7.
“We are seeing tremendous pushback against free markets in the energy sector by these localities around the country, which will only make situations like the current pipeline crisis in the south even worse,” Higginbotham said. “The only way to prevent those kinds of scenarios is to have multiple energy sources — a true free market — to stave off attacks like the ones we are seeing.
“Unfortunately, extremists on the far left and the far right only want green energy or traditional fossil fuels, respectively. This legislation will require us to take an all-of-the-above approach.”