West Virginia will see a renewed focus on economic development and competition with surrounding states through initiatives set to be taken on under Gov. Patrick Morrisey.

Morrisey addressed the press on Thursday, discussing what he has for several months dubbed the “Backyard Brawl” for regional economic development, referring to a football term used for local rivalries. 

“I think that the reason I’ve talked about that for a long time is that I’m a believer in the power of competition,”  Morrisey said. “That if you start to look at what your state is doing in the economic arena and you compare it to all the states that you touch, you start to have barometers of where you stand and how you can be better at what you do.”

The focus of the effort is going to hinge strongly on developing energy infrastructure and, through that, competition with surrounding states as well as other general metrics for business and economic growth, Morrisey said.

“We know that for West Virginia to unleash its true potential, we have to be an energy powerhouse, and that means taking advantage of all of our energy resources,” Morrisey said.

Todd Johnston, who was named earlier this month to serve as Morrisey’s deputy chief of staff, will be a crucial lead for the new “Backyard Brawl” initiative. Johnston comes to West Virginia with a background in energy, natural resource and infrastructure policies as well as regulatory compliance issues. He previously served as a vice president of ConservAmerica, a conservative-leaning nonprofit focused on “market-based solutions” to promote environmental conservation alongside economic development.

Johnston will work as the director of West Virginia’s new “energy, infrastructure, and competitiveness” program, Morrisey announced. In that position, he will coordinate with the Governor’s Office, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation as well as commerce and economic development representatives across the state.

Specifically, Morrisey said, the new efforts will key in on improving “fundamentals” across the state that he believes will drive economic growth and development. 

As it is early in the process, not many specifics were outlined Thursday for what projects or initiatives may be undertaken for this work. Morrisey did say he would like to see efforts as soon as possible to accelerate permit application approvals, which can delay the start and completion of certain projects.

The policies Morrisey said he wants to see advanced are similar to ones stressed by former Gov. Jim Justice who, since earlier this month, is serving in the U.S. Senate. Justice regularly described himself as a pro-business governor and, as the operator of several coal mines, lamented national policies that he felt undercut West Virginia’s energy and economic potential.

West Virginia still ranks low nationally in several metrics for private business successes, Morrisey said. The state is ranked 40th in CNBC’s 2024 top states for business and 49th in Forbes’ best states for business report. While Forbes listed West Virginia as 13th nationally for business costs, the state ranked 50th for labor supply, the regulatory environment and potential growth prospects, Morrisey pointed out.

“We were near the bottom in a lot of different categories. I want to change that,” Morrisey said. “West Virginians deserve to have that change so we can start to really rise in the economic rankings.”

When asked how his approach to economic and energy development would differ from Justice’s despite sharing similar strategies and goals, Morrisey said he wasn’t interested in looking at the past.

“I think the important thing is we’re not gonna look back. We’re going to build on strengths and there’s been some positive things [like Roads to Prosperity],” Morrisey said. “I want to level-set with people about where we are, what we’re inheriting and how we have to go forward. I think you’re going to see a level of vigor, you’re gonna see a level of dedication focused on competition that the state has never seen before.”