CHARLESTON — Nearly two years after first forming a working group to convince federal energy officials to locate a regional hydrogen hub in West Virginia, those same state and congressional officials were pleased to see their work pay off. However, some remain skeptical about the potential for hydrogen.
President Joe Biden and officials with the Department of Energy announced Friday parts of West Virginia, Southeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania will play host to the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub, one of seven regional hydrogen hubs to be constructed nationwide.
According to Biden administration officials, the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub could create as many as 18,000 construction jobs between all three states and as many as 3,000 permanent jobs once completed.
The project is also a public/private partnership with the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2), which includes more than 40 partnering companies in the natural gas, energy and manufacturing sectors, West Virginia University and Marshall University, local transit authorities and the federal National Energy Technology Laboratory.
The $925 million investment in the Appalachian Regional Hub by the Department of Energy represents a portion of the more than $9.5 billion set aside for hydrogen research in the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also called the bipartisan infrastructure law.
The bipartisan infrastructure law was passed at the end of 2021 after months of negotiations that first began between President Joe Biden and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., in the spring of 2021. The law included language requiring a regional hydrogen hub be placed in the Appalachian region. “Today is a major win for the ARCH2 team and for future economic development and energy production in West Virginia,” Capito, the ranking Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said. “Since we included language and funding for a hydrogen hub competition … and at every stage since, I consistently supported efforts to help make this project a reality. I’m thrilled for the ARCH2 team and am so proud West Virginia will continue its tradition as an innovative, energy-producing state through a regional hydrogen hub.”
After negotiations on the bipartisan infrastructure law broke down, a bipartisan group of senators, including Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va, picked up those negotiations with the White House. The bill passed the Senate in a 69-30 vote with both Manchin and Capito voting for it. “This means West Virginia will be the new epicenter of hydrogen in the United States of America,” Manchin, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, said. “We won the hub because of the hard work of countless individuals and organizations, and I could not be prouder to be making this announcement today … now, West Virginia will be on the leading edge of building out the new hydrogen market while bringing good-paying jobs and new economic opportunity to the state.”
In the U.S. House of Representatives, the bipartisan infrastructure law passed 228 to 206. While Reps. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., and Carol Miller, R-W.Va., voted against the bill, former 1st District Rep. David McKinley was among 13 Republicans in the House to help the bill clear passage and head to Biden’s desk.
McKinley was defeated in the 2022 Republican primary after redistricting put McKinley and Mooney in the same district. Mooney frequently attacked McKinley during the campaign for his vote on the bipartisan infrastructure law. But speaking by phone Friday, McKinley said he remains proud of his vote and pleased that the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub is becoming a reality. “It is enormously gratifying,” McKinley said. “It is gratifying to see something finally come to fruition … It cost me my job for voting for the infrastructure bill, but it was the right thing to do for West Virginia. We are seeing now the benefits of it.”
At the beginning of 2022, Manchin, Capito and McKinley formed the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Working Group with Gov. Jim Justice to develop the plan to submit to the Department of Energy to locate a regional hydrogen hub in West Virginia and the Appalachian region. The application was submitted in March 2022. “I thank all of those involved,” Justice said. “It’s just another great step forward in West Virginia, my gracious sakes of living. We have been an energy state forever. We want to embrace all different forms of energy and all of the alternatives. At the same time, we’re never going to forget our coal miners and our gas workers. We’re going to be really proud of our fossil fuels. All the being said, there are lots and lots of companies that can really benefit from this.”
Not everyone was as optimistic about the potential for hydrogen energy as an economic driver, however. The Ohio River Valley Institute believes many of the claims made about the economic potential of hydrogen, the lack of a domestic market for hydrogen, and the continued use of natural gas to produce hydrogen and create emissions, makes a hydrogen hub a costly endeavor with little benefit. “Because hydrogen and carbon capture are economic for only a few niche industries, plans to develop ARCH2 may yield a small affair with disappointingly little economic and climate benefit,” Sean O’Leary, a senior researcher with the Ohio River Valley Institute, said. “Or, if plans maintain momentum, hydrogen and CCS will be forced into irremediably uneconomic applications, resulting in higher prices, utility bills, and taxes with little or no net economic benefit. Our region cannot afford to invest further in an oil and gas industry that has failed to produce job, income, and population growth for more than a decade.”
McKinley acknowledged some of the benefits of natural gas production have not been able to reach full potential, placing the blame on opposition by environmental groups and multiple court cases that have tied up pipeline construction for years and even decades.
Congress was able to include some permitting reform in the debt ceiling deal passed at the beginning of summer. McKinley encouraged Congress to keep working toward additional permitting reform to help speed up pipeline and infrastructure permits to help the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub become a reality.
If it is going to come into fruition, great, but let’s make sure it goes all the way and they get the permitting more streamlined in a way that will discourage litigation that could kill it much like some of the other pipeline projects that have happened in this country.” Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to federal probation after fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief funding while living in Mason County.
Scott Christie, 38, of Petrolia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to four years of federal probation for theft of public money, property, or records.
Christie fraudulently obtained $24,388 in unemployment benefits and COVID supplementary funds while living in Leon.
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Christie obtained funds in a fraudulent manor on two separate occasions. Between both February 29, 2020, to August 22, 2020, and between February 27, 2021, to August 14, 2021, Christie fraudulently applied for unemployment benefits through WorkForce America. During these periods, Christie submitted 50 total weekly certifications without disclosing his employment. Christie received 52 unemployment benefits.
Christie has been ordered to pay $24,228 in restitution.
After 12 years as West Virginia’s Attorney General, Patrick Morrisey was sworn in Monday morning as the state’s 37th governor.
“Together, we’re going to make West Virginia a beacon of opportunity, of hope and prosperity for all,” Morrisey said. “Our path forward is clear. It’s a path paved with hard work and bold action. Now we have some big challenges and economic obstacles in front of us, but we will overcome them.”
Morrisey in the Attorney General’s office.
The inauguration also instated new Intermediate and Supreme Court of Appeals judges and five other members of the Board of Public Works, the state’s governing body.
The past three governors attended the inauguration. Those included Joe Manchin, who recently left the U.S. Senate as an Independent, Earl Ray Tomblin, who stopped into Manchin’s governor’s office, and Jim Justice, who will assume Manchin’s U.S. Senate seat as a Republican.
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Morrisey is the first governor to be initially sworn in as a Republican since 1997. Justice switched parties his first year in office.
In his inauguration speech, Morrisey laid out plans to cut state taxes, reduce government regulation, support the HOPE school choice scholarship and public school teachers, improve the state’s foster care system and oppose diversity equity and inclusion initiatives.
Morrisey likened his plans for economic growth to a “backyard brawl” — a hallmark of his campaign, referring to making West Virginia more enticing to new residents and businesses than neighboring states. Today, Morrisey specifically referenced making the state personal income tax lower than surrounding states and public teacher pay competitive.
“It’s about unleashing the full potential of our people and engaging in spirited competition every day, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky,” Morrisey said. “We’re coming for you economically.”
Morrisey also said his administration is “launching West Virginia’s version of DOGE,” referring to President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed extra-governmental Department of Government Efficiency. During Morrisey’s campaign, he pointed to audits of state agencies and departments as key to finding policy solutions; during his transition, Morrisey emphasized continuing to focus on “repurposing and rightsizing” government.
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“We’re going to take a bulldozer to the barriers of government that hold you back,” Morrisey said. “We’re going to get big, big things done.”
Before leaving office, Justice signed onto a Jan. 10 letter to Congress from Republican governors in support of the federal DOGE. Morrisey said he also aims to partner with the incoming presidential administration on energy policy and deregulation.
“If ever there was an honorary West Virginian, it should be Donald Trump,” Morrisey said.
After the state gubernatorial Republican primary last spring, which Morrisey won with a plurality of 33.33% of votes, Trump endorsed Morrisey. Morrisey won the general election with 61.99% of votes; Trump won West Virginia’s electoral college votes with 69.98% of votes. Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20.
West Virginiahead coach Rich Rodriguez is far from being done in the transfer portal, but with nearly two dozen pickups thus far, I figured we could start taking a closer look at the stars of the group.
We will revisit this before spring practice and then prior to the start of fall camp, as more players will be added, so we’ll adjust the list. For now, here are the five transfers who I believe will make the biggest impact.
Jahiem White is clearly RB1, but in this day and age, you need two or three capable running backs, especially in a Rich Rodriguez offense. Edwards brings a different dynamic to the table with his 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame. He can hammer it in between the tackles to give WVU a nice lightning-and-thunder combo, similar to what they had with White and CJ Donaldson. He rushed for over 1,000 yards and six scores this season.
Perry brings a level of physicality that has been pretty much non-existent in the Mountaineer secondary over the last handful of years. He does have some versatility to him as well, being able to play deep safety, up in the box, and even in the slot if needed. Assuming he makes the transition to the Power Four level smoothly, he’ll have a chance to play on Sundays.
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West Virginia’s wide receiver room underwent a near-complete makeover, but with the addition of Cam Vaughn, they have a dynamic playmaker they can build with for the next three seasons. In his redshirt freshman season at Jax State, Vaughn caught 48 passes for 803 yards and five touchdowns. Not too shabby for someone who just made the switch from quarterback a year ago.
After losing Josiah Trotter (Missouri) and Trey Lathan (Kansas) to the transfer portal, the Mountaineers desperately needed to add a veteran linebacker who could come right in and make a difference. Over his last two seasons at Colorado State, Wilson tallied 205 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, seven passes defended, 3.5 sacks, and two picks. A tough, hard-nosed kid who fits this defense like a glove.
West Virginia beat out Ole Miss to land one of the best cover corners in the transfer portal in Michael Coats Jr. This past season with the Wolfpack, he notched 41 tackles, 14 passes defended, and four interceptions, finishing in the top five nationally in the last two categories. Barring some crazy get in the portal, I expect Coats to be the top acquisition out of the portal this offseason for the Mountaineers.
QB Jaylen Henderson (Texas A&M), RB Tye Edwards (Northern Iowa), RB LJ Turner (Catawba College), WR Cyrus Traugh (Youngstown State), WR Cam Vaughn (Jacksonville State), WR Daveon Walker (Butler C.C.), WR Jarod Bowie (Jacksonville State), WR Oran Singleton Jr. (Eastern Michigan), TE Jacob Barrick (Jacksonville State), TE Johnny Pascuzzi (Iowa), OL Walter Young Bear (Tulsa), OL Robby Martin (NC State), OL Wyatt Minor (Youngstown State), OL Kimo Makane’ole (LSU), DE Braden Siders (Wyoming), LB Chase Wilson (Colorado State), LB Ashton Woods (North Carolina), CB Derek Carter (Jacksonville State), CB Jordan Scruggs (South Alabama), CB Devonte Golden-Nelson (Akron), CB Michael Coats Jr. (Nevada), S Justin Harrington (Washington), S Will Davis (Virginia Union), S Fred Perry (Jacksonville State), S Jordan Walker (Chattanooga), and K Ethan Head (Tulane).
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