[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6100996,"mediaKeyId","2810622-aba6f8f4aad9bd0efab065c7e493bcd0","parentId",2810622,"title","Panel approves bill giving DEP sole authority over alterations to conservation-district dams, adds funding protection amendment","audioSeconds",770,"startMs",1095000,"endMs",1865000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2810622-aba6f8f4aad9bd0efab065c7e493bcd0&start=1095&end=1865","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2810622-aba6f8f4aad9bd0efab065c7e493bcd0/thumbnail_1095000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6100996/West-Virginia/Panel-approves-bill-giving-DEP-sole-authority-over-alterations-to-conservation-district-dams-adds-funding-protection-amendment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6100996-ee2c6b0dbf84a0aabca1e15e181ff6c4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771131699&Signature=cOM7WfDaaD~ZutMWUgg3cbYvWs00hgpoalfSI7rqmw39AjEPSciUwl17zTGyWpNFFQxkkbO-~g57xG5~aDFTKG5RD2HntoQKHxe~3uyXKw40idcVPwa5baYEMPYt1NphGqIEYMtTQXv4Kvjs~aO1SJRSpcEhDuEWZpWiYd8JUMCwmkaSm9ed5MgyHvqD35tk4fW6R5XkMuPIm9k1dfQLZpK-hRPrqDdmy1BUvhVZsdHyzwUc-eV47lmjfdaMheNil01Hag0nkgFY-V8r0WjfqjjRzOvnR0wQRK3rQUqRLAo7xbzFGE4vwc4Q5ZwY6LTZ78~FcoxujJ6FEwju~gb6YA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","West Virginia Legislature","date","2025-03-28T00:00:00Z","article","A Senate committee reviewed and approved original language for originating bill number 1 that would make any alteration, improvement or agreement related to a dam owned or sponsored by a local conservation district subject solely to the authority of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Judith Lyons, director of the West Virginia Conservation Agency, testified that her agency maintains 170 flood-control structures the agency sponsors and that the agency performs engineering, planning, design and routine maintenance for those dams under the regulatory authority of DEP. “We maintain 170 dams across the state, and they are classified as high hazard dams,” Lyons said, adding that rehabilitation funding comes from federal NRCS programs with a state match provided through the legislature. She told the committee the conservation agency administers funds through local conservation districts but that the funding comes directly to the agency.

Committee members asked whether the bill would practically change existing operations. Lyons said the conservation agency currently does the engineering and planning work and that, under the bill as she understood it, the agency would “continue on doing what we do right now under the regulatory authority.” Counsel said the bill clarifies that DEP would have the ultimate decision-making authority while coordination with the conservation agency would continue.

Senator from Logan offered and the committee adopted an amendment that inserted a sentence stating: “The provisions of this subsection may not be construed to affect or alter any state or federal funding to the West Virginia Conservation Agency.” Lyons told the committee she supports the amendment because federal funding and the state match process are unchanged.

The committee agreed to the originating bill as amended by voice vote and later voted to report the committee substitute (originating bill number 1 as amended) to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass.

Votes at a glance: The committee adopted the Logan amendment clarifying funding protections (voice vote; tally not specified), agreed to the bill as amended, and voted to report the bill to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Energy, Industry, and Mining Committee Friday, Mar 28, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A Senate committee approved language making alterations related to local conservation‑district dams subject solely to the authority of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and adopted an amendment clarifying the change would not affect state or federal funding to the West Virginia Conservation Agency.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature WV, West Virginia","taxId",77714,"location","West Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6101000,"Senate committee backs bill giving director discretion over mine inspector appointments",170,919000,1089000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2810622-aba6f8f4aad9bd0efab065c7e493bcd0&start=919&end=1089","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2810622-aba6f8f4aad9bd0efab065c7e493bcd0/thumbnail_919000.jpg","/articles/6101000/West-Virginia/Senate-committee-backs-bill-giving-director-discretion-over-mine-inspector-appointments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6101000-8ccab78701dd942fef6f21f1680b2ffd/orig.mp4?Expires=1771131699&Signature=GfsdvaY7mlz3nZtgJza-mDdud1N-nXlS9m9bgI1F~gTNu0ebWdUUn-~UOjP4rxP4ADCYOlVH097EHAa1e9hyISAELBatacxpF0-Gj3AQywJjlD0LauGvoIsTeK9bfav3ip3Lg~0e0mANSoPpDsV4h19PR8IC7mnJP5C2iCBeP2gUeUzDTaksJjeG5CTTh1SvlfN9Iu~fMdFCXsjFGLlYxzI~QlGTHt4sFfhT1AkLqMtWOTqS5Nc0sKyfe-g8TzQHvHXAlbjyDYuJTVqqu71-svaDQbTlEGFPkh8my7Kdq9Q02Xz80Wvg49fP~YKiwy3fDoTIPE~z4miTk-Vs4FKkkA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A Senate committee on an unspecified date approved a committee substitute for Senate Bill 883 that gives the director of the Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training broader discretion in appointing mine inspectors and related personnel.

The substitute directs the director to have “full discretion and authority in the original appointment of all mine inspectors, mine safety instructors, electrical inspectors, underground mine inspectors, surface mine inspectors, and general inspectors,” and it changes procedures related to testing, registers of eligible candidates and tenure, according to committee counsel.

The bill also requires that the director report appointments and application and testing information to the Board of Coal Mine Health and Safety and allows the board to be present during applicant testing and to access inspector applications, counsel said. Counsel told the committee the substitute would require the board to transfer records and equipment it holds from the former Mine Inspectors Examining Board to the Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training.

Under current law the director must select mine inspectors from a list of candidates provided by the board and must prepare a register of candidates; the substitute preserves registers but changes procedures when the register contains three or fewer candidates, counsel said. The substitute removes an eligibility requirement that an inspector be 55 years of age or younger and changes how tenure is conferred, requiring completion of a one‑year probationary period for eligibility rather than granting automatic tenure at the end of probation under current law, counsel said.

There was no recorded roll-call vote in committee. The committee approved the language of the committee substitute by voice vote and the vice chair moved that the committee substitute be reported to the full Senate with recommendation that it do pass; that motion carried, the committee chair said.

No amendments to the committee substitute were recorded in the available transcript excerpts, and no further discussion or dissenting statements were recorded in the committee’s voice votes.

The committee’s action sends the committee substitute for Senate Bill 883 to the full Senate with a recommendation for passage.

Votes at a glance: The committee agreed to the committee substitute and reported it to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass (voice votes; tallies not specified).","A Senate committee approved a committee substitute for Senate Bill 883 that shifts appointment authority for mine inspectors to the director of the Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training and removes an age cap for inspector eligibility.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6100991,"Committee approves bill aligning West Virginia diesel‑equipment rules with MSHA; amendment freezes federal baseline as of July 1, 2025",332,2187000,2519000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2810622-aba6f8f4aad9bd0efab065c7e493bcd0&start=2187&end=2519","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2810622-aba6f8f4aad9bd0efab065c7e493bcd0/thumbnail_2187000.jpg","/articles/6100991/West-Virginia/Committee-approves-bill-aligning-West-Virginia-dieselequipment-rules-with-MSHA-amendment-freezes-federal-baseline-as-of-July-1-2025","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6100991-78945622059682dc6a88e259290446cf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771131699&Signature=IpVA9uSjZcD5sfaEO5iEsYoDEhxKOb4bdlNcD1YTMZ-nSA95Pfwgs60nr4Z2e74SF1dDV3t3E8m0jgHR0zcQxESiGigp-dOxADPK-U34k~iUjvHpKdrhXL~KI25ICcIUd3fmCtEwxBudNd4SRA4xxz1Wdh6pZ-Ytv1M77WzqyPivSlos-ubeQGzd1SR9rf7LWbm7DJiO-m7bcCB4hLcCYEWms8PFWZ0euO5QiAHoh6hRIqea~CbsqNJThtV1lZt20YqYP8t~tqxlRt65OFinYf3GsS9xvvPPYYI44tVjq7Rjo2YlYeqAPcqPx1lFykNH6Vru2EHsLPOBaJ03tYM0KQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A Senate committee approved a measure to streamline diesel‑equipment regulations in West Virginia coal mines by aligning state requirements with federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) standards and removing additional site‑specific testing and some state maintenance requirements that differ from federal rules.

Committee counsel told members the bill would authorize the Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training to promulgate rules for diesel‑powered equipment in underground coal mines but would require those rules not to be more burdensome than MSHA regulations. The substitute declares that any internal policy, directive or provisional rule contrary to that limitation would be null and void. Counsel said equipment approved under MSHA standards would be deemed approved for use in West Virginia and that equipment may be moved among mines within the state and put into service after notifying the director of the Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training.

Several senators expressed concern about tying state rules to the federal baseline if federal regulations become less protective in the future. Senator from Marion offered an amendment to fix the federal regulatory baseline by specifying that the comparison point is MSHA regulations “as of 07/01/2025.” The committee heard witnesses from labor and industry: Chad Francis, a United Mine Workers of America representative, testified that he could not immediately opine on implementation specifics but said he and the committee share concern for miners’ safety; Chris Hamilton of the West Virginia Coal Association said he did not see a downside and described state‑federal duplication in mine safety enforcement and budgets.

After discussion and testimony the committee adopted the Marion amendment to freeze the federal comparison point as of July 1, 2025, and later adopted the committee substitute as amended. The vice chair moved that the committee substitute for originating bill number 2 as amended be reported to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass; the motion carried by voice vote and the chair declared the motion adopted.

The committee’s actions remove certain state-specific emission testing and maintenance‑frequency requirements that counsel said are inconsistent with MSHA standards and deem MSHA‑approved equipment acceptable statewide.

Votes at a glance: Committee adopted an amendment to fix the MSHA comparison date (07/01/2025), approved the committee substitute as amended, and voted to report the bill to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass (voice votes; tallies not specified).","A Senate committee agreed to language in originating bill number 2 to align state diesel‑powered mining equipment rules with federal MSHA standards, adopted an amendment that fixes the federal standard reference as of July 1, 2025, and reported the measure to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Panel approves bill giving DEP sole authority over alterations to conservation-district dams, adds funding protection amendment

Senate committee backs bill giving director discretion over mine inspector appointments

Committee approves bill aligning West Virginia diesel‑equipment rules with MSHA; amendment freezes federal baseline as of July 1, 2025