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Maryland’s proposed coal fee faces opposition from West Virginia

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Maryland’s proposed coal fee faces opposition from West Virginia


A POTENTIAL FEE ON COAL IN MARYLAND IS DRAWING OPPOSITION FROM WEST VIRGINIA-

ONE OF THE NATION’S LARGEST EXPORTERS OF THIS ENERGY SOURCE.

 

MARYLAND LAWMAKERS ARE CURRENTLY CONSIDERING A BILL THAT WOULD IMPOSE A CHARGE OF 13 DOLLARS PER SHORT TON OF COAL TRANSPORTED THROUGH THE STATE.

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DUBBED THE COAL DUST CLEANUP AND ASTHMA REMEDIATION ACT, MONEY FROM IT WOULD GO TOWARDS REDUCING POLLUTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE FOSSIL FUEL.

HOWEVER, WEST VIRGINIA’S ATTORNEY GENERAL J.B. MCCUSKEY SUGGESTS THE LEGISLATION COULD BE UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

 

ARGUING IT VIOLATES THE COMMERCE CLAUSE OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION-

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WHICH PROHIBITS STATES FROM ENACTING LAWS THAT UNDULY RESTRICT OR DISCRIMINATE AGAINST INTERSTATE TRADE.

MCCUSKEY CLAIMS THE BILL WILL “NEARLY DOUBLE THE COST OF SENDING COAL TO OR THROUGH MARYLAND”-

AND ASSERTS STATES SHOULD NOT QUOTE “FILL THEIR COFFERS AT THE EXPENSE OF HARD-WORKING AMERICANS MILES AWAY.”

 

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL WROTE A LETTER TO MARYLAND HOUSE AND SENATE LEADERS URGING THEM TO TABLE THE LEGISLATION-

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IN WHICH HE CLAIMED IT INAPPROPRIATELY EXTRACTS LARGE SUMS OF MONEY FROM ENERGY SUPPLIERS TO BANKROLL MARYLAND’S BUDGET.

 

WHILE, WEST VIRGINIA IS THE NUMBER TWO LEADING STATES IN COAL PRODUCTION, MARYLAND RANKS MUCH LOWER-

COMING IN AT 16TH IN 2023, ACCORDING TO THE U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION.

BUT, MARYLAND IS HOME TO THE PORT OF BALTIMORE, THE SECOND-LARGEST COAL EXPORTING PORT IN THE COUNTRY-

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THOUGH ACHIEVING THAT STATUS REPORTEDLY CAME AT THE EXPENSE OF NEARBY RESIDENTS.

 

A 2024 STUDY BY RESEARCHERS AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY FOUND MEASURABLE AMOUNTS OF COAL DUST TRAVELING TO COMMUNITIES NEARLY A MILE AWAY FROM THE PORT-

IMPACTING SCHOOLS, PLAYGROUNDS AND HOMES.

 

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TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM-

FUNDS GENERATED BY MARYLAND’S COAL FEE WILL BE ALLOCATED TO THE STATE’S FOSSIL FUEL MITIGATION FUND…INTENDED TO ADDRESS ASTHMA TREATMENT IN AFFECTED COMMUNITIES.

MCCUSKEY SAYS WEST VIRGINIA SUPPORTS THESE EFFORTS BY MARYLAND TO SOLVE WHAT HE CALLS ITS INTERNAL PROBLEMS-

BUT CLAIMS ONLY 2 PERCENT OF FUNDS FROM THE BILL WILL ACTUALLY GO TO THE FOSSIL FUEL MITIGATION FUND-

AND THE REST WOULD BE ADDED TO THE STATE’S GENERAL FUND.

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THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FURTHER ASSERTS THE PORT OF BALTIMORE’S IMPORTANCE TO WEST VIRGINIA’S COAL EXPORTS-

MAKING UP OVER 50 PERCENT OF ITS TOTAL EXPORT PRODUCT-

WILL CONTRIBUTE TO AN INCREASE IN COSTS FOR HIS STATE OF 182 MILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY.

 

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MCCUSKEY HAS OFFERED TO WORK WITH MARYLAND ON POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES TO ADDRESSING THE STATE’S ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS REGARDING COAL-

THOUGH HE WARNED THAT IF THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION MOVES FORWARD WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL REVISIONS, WEST VIRGINIA WILL LIKELY BE COMPELLED TO PURSUE LEGAL ACTION.

 

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M JACK AYLMER.

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West Virginia

WestCare West Virginia opens male residential facility in Buckhannon

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WestCare West Virginia opens male residential facility in Buckhannon


BUCKHANNON, W.Va (WDTV) – WestCare West Virginia cut the ribbon for its Hope in the Mountains complex on 22 N. Locust Street. The new facility will treat men with substance abuse issues with the hopes of fighting the drug epidemic in West Virginia.

Each room in the complex includes 56 beds, a television set and clean bathroom. Stephen Wright spoke ahead of the ribbon cutting along with Buckhannon officials. He said this facility differs from others on how they approach treatment.

“We really focus on the individual and the individual needs and focus on their progress in the program versus a number of days that a person is in treatment. So it’s really individualized,” said Stephen Wright, chief operating officer of WestCare Appalachia. “So we still need aftercare, outpatient counseling, and those things. But this really gives an opportunity for an intervention to break that cycle for individuals struggling with addiction. Because lots of times they must be separated from the living circumstances that they’re in at that time.”

Copyright 2026 WDTV. All rights reserved.

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West Virginia Scores Rehearing Over Drug Discount Injunction

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West Virginia Scores Rehearing Over Drug Discount Injunction


A federal appeals court agreed to rehear West Virginia’s request to lift an injunction barring enforcement of state restrictions against drugmakers seeking to limit discounts to pharmacies under a federal program.

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted Thursday West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey’s request to rehear en banc arguments over a preliminary injunction. All active judges in the court will review the case after a three-judge panel in March ruled to keep the state’s SB 325 temporarily blocked while litigation plays out over the law.

The court said the case is scheduled for oral argument …



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Heavy rain, flooding affect multiple north-central West Virginia counties – WV MetroNews

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Heavy rain, flooding affect multiple north-central West Virginia counties – WV MetroNews


BARBOUR COUNTY, W.Va. –Rainy conditions in the Mountain State are expected to subside after six days of continuous rainfall across West Virginia.

Basketball Court in Jane Lew’s city park in Lewis County (Photo: Jane Lew Town Hall Facebook)

On Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch and a flood watch for most of the state as rain continued moving across the region.

NWS Meteorologist Tom Mazza said north-central West Virginia counties—including Wirt, Calhoun, Lewis, and Barbour—were hit hardest by rain showers throughout the day.

“That whole stretch just south of Clarksburg, Clarksburg got a little flooding too, but that area did get hit with the flooding, along with tree damage, so severe thunderstorms there as well,” Mazza said.

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In Jane Lew, located in Lewis County, West Virginia, the town hall posted on Facebook that the town park will be closed due to flooding. Officials said it will remain closed until they can assess the damage caused by the flooding.

In Harrison County, the town of Lost Creek also experienced heavy rain and flooding.

Barbour County Emergency Manager Corey Brandon said they received several rounds of heavy rain throughout the day Wednesday.

Jane Lew city park (Photo: Jane Lew Town Hall Facebook)

He said this caused flooding in areas that typically experience flooding during heavy rain events.

“Which resulted in a lot of water getting out of the ditch line, and also our streams and creeks getting out of their ditch lines and causing a lot of problems for a lot of low-lying areas,” Brandon said.

He said they saw a lot of rain in the Clemtown, Moatsville, and Nestorville areas, which they hadn’t seen since 2018.

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Brandon said they also had to relocate an elderly woman because rising water was nearly blocking the only access road to her home.

“She had some mobility issues, so the fire department requested that we get her out of the house just in case something were to happen overnight and weren’t able to get to her after that point,” he said.

Brandon said emergency services and the Philippi Fire Department were able to reach her and relocate her to a hotel until the water recedes.

He said that while crews were assisting the woman at her home, areas they typically monitor were beginning to recede.

Brandon said officials are now monitoring local rivers to ensure they do not rise out of their banks.

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“Now were anxiously awaiting for the streams and creeks to subside and now we’ll be watching the local rivers to make sure that they stay in their banks as well,” he said.

said that after the rain seen since last Thursday, the region should experience a brief dry spell.

“Leftover showers in the morning (Thursday), clouds and fog, with a gradual clearing during the day Thursday, then it looks like we have several days of nice weather, seasonal spring weather to allow us to dry out,” he said.



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