Interesting reading; thanks for sharing. Note also mention of Coalfields Expressway....
Surprised to see proposal for abandoned minelands reclamation funds for Hobet -- I thought these can only be used for pre-SMCRA sites? Unless he is talking about something different.
The shout-out to NOAA is amusing (in a grim kind of way) -- I don't think this administration will be prioritizing NOAA!
On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 3:38 PM, James Kotcon jkotcon@wvu.edu wrote:
McCabe is a member of the PSC, so these may give insights into his position on PSC issues, as well as provide arguments that may resonate.
Key initiatives he supports include:
- Support and invest in the Appalachian Storage Hub to create the
multistate pipeline backbone for the petrochemical manufacturing resurgence that is on the immediate horizon based on the Marcellus and Utica Shale resources in West Virginia, southwestern Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and eastern Kentucky.
- Support accelerated development of the Rock Creek Development Park on
the abandon Hobet Mine site as a future hub for industrial, commercial and residential development using the federal government’s Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund.
- Nature-based economic development that matches the state’s natural
resources to economic opportunities with a thoughtful overlay of current and future impacts on the environment offers major opportunities. Using the best-available science, state-of-the-art development practices and conservation can put the state ahead of many of its competitors in agriculture, forestry and natural gas and minerals extraction.
- Increase state government and industry research funding for
alternative uses of coal and natural gas with a logical source of funding being future severance taxes available after the market resets to a new normal. Industry needs to address the technical and environmental issues related to extraction, refinement and use of these energy resources. The future of both industries will be based, in no small part, on new technologies and practices. West Virginia and its universities, research parks and private industry all need to be at the table.
Full story is at:
http://www.theet.com/statejournal/new-administration-capable-of- several-game-changing-initiatives-for-wv/article_702dcf8b-5b68-5f6c-8970- 45e75f6c7c2b.html