Senate Bill No. 278
(By Senators Kessler, Minard and Foster)
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[Introduced January 26, 2006; referred to the Committee
on Government Organization; and then to the Committee on
Finance.]
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A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by
adding thereto a new article, designated §5-1F-1, §5-1F-2,
§5-1F-3, §5-1F-4 and §5-1F-5, all relating to the creation of
the office of State Energy Coordinator in the office of the
Governor; findings and purposes; power and duties;
definitions; and reports to the Joint Committee on Government
and Finance.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended
by adding thereto a new article, designated §5-1F-1, §5-1F-2,
§5-1F-3, §5-1F-4 and §5-1F-5, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1F. STATE ENERGY COORDINATOR.
§5-1F-1. Findings and purposes.
The Legislature finds and declares that development and promotion of West Virginia's abundant energy resources, as well as
innovative energy technologies, are critical to the current and
future needs of the state and nation. The Legislature finds that
a number of public and private entities are and should be involved
in such development and promotion, and that coordination is
necessary in order to enhance the state's energy infrastructure in
a productive and efficient manner. Therefore, it is the purpose of
this article to create, as an integral part of the Office of the
Governor, the Office of State Energy Coordinator to bring about
such needed coordination.
§5-1F-2. Creation of the Office of State Energy Coordinator.
There is hereby created the Office of State Energy Coordinator
within the Office of the Governor. The State Energy Coordinator
shall be appointed by and shall serve at the will and pleasure of
the Governor. The State Energy Coordinator shall have experience
in energy production and development, energy technologies and
organizational management.
§5-1F-3. Powers and duties.
(a) The State Energy Coordinator shall:
(1) Develop and implement plans and programs for promoting the
state's energy resources, regionally, nationally and
internationally;
(2) Establish working relationships and lines of communication
with and between the energy industries, the public energy authority, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Public
Service Commission, the West Virginia Development Office, the
representatives to the Southern States Energy Board, state colleges
and universities, federal energy agencies and other entities that
will enhance the gathering of knowledge and planning capabilities
for development of energy resources and technologies in the state;
(3) In cooperation with the entities listed in subdivision
one, subsection-a of this section, pursue the development of new
energy production projects and utilization of new energy
technologies in the state;
(4) Recommend to the Governor policies and programs that will
enhance the development and utilization of the state's energy
resources and technologies; and
(5) Perform other duties assigned by the Governor.
(b) The State Energy Coordinator may employ the personnel
necessary to carry out the work of the office and may approve
reimbursement of costs incurred by employees to obtain education
and training.
§5-1F-4. Definition of "energy resources" and "energy
technologies."
As used in this article, the term:
(1) "Energy resources" means coal, oil, natural gas,
electricity, wind, solar and nuclear resources; and
(2) "Energy technologies" means processes, methods and facilities for the development, production, transmission,
distribution or use of energy resources.
§5-1F-5. Annual report to Joint Committee on Government and
Finance.
The State Energy Coordinator shall report annually to the
Joint Committee on Government and Finance on the activities of his
or her office.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to create the Office of
State Energy Coordinator in the Governor's office to promote the
state's energy resources and facilitate development and energy
technologies.
§5-1F-1. §5-1F-2, §5-1F-3, §5-1F-4 and §5-1F-5 are new;
therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.
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