HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 28
(By Delegates Browning, Beach, Boggs, Brown, Burdiss, Caputo,
Craig, DeLong, Doyle, Ellis, Ennis, Fleischauer, Fragale, Gall,
Guthrie, Hatfield, Higgins, Hrutkay, Hutchins, Klempa, Michael,
Morgan, Palumbo, Pethtel, M. Poling, Rodighiero, Shook, Spencer,
Stemple, Stephens, Swartzmiller, Tabb, Tansill, Tucker, Varner,
Wysong and Yost)
Requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to study
the development of clean coal technologies such as coal
liquefaction.
Whereas, Coal is an integral component of West Virginia's
history, culture and economy; and
Whereas, The West Virginia coal industry directly employees
over forty thousand individuals at an average annual wage in excess
of fifty three thousand dollars per year and provides benefits to
them and their families; and
Whereas, West Virginia's citizens and those of other states and
nations rely daily on West Virginia's coal for energy and
metallurgy in their business and private lives; and
Whereas, West Virginia's coal industry underwrites much of the
state budget by paying for well over sixty percent of the business
taxes paid in our state, paying seventy million dollars in property taxes and adding two hundred fourteen million dollars to the states
economy due to the coal severance tax; and
Whereas, West Virginia's coal industry also underwrites much of
the budgets of each of the State's political subdivision with more
than eighteen million dollars each year flowing to counties and
municipalities; and
Whereas, West Virginia has nearly fifty-three billion tons of
recoverable coal reserves, enough for more than three hundred fifty
years of production at current production levels; and
Whereas, West Virginia coal and coal miners are the world's
most capable and tough miners which gives the State a clear
competitive advantage in coal production in the world market place;
and
Whereas, Scarcity of petroleum, natural gas and other fossil
fuels and energy sources and fine metallurgical coal itself and
advances in clean coal technologies bode well for sustaining ore
increasing the coal demand and price levels in future years;
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance is hereby
requested to study the development of clean coal technologies such
as coal liquefaction; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and
Finance report to the regular session of the Legislature, two thousand nine, on its findings, conclusions and recommendations
together with drafts of a legislation to effectuate its
recommendations; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this
study, to prepare a report and to draft necessary legislation be
paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on
Government and Finance.
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