The House Energy and Public Works Committee discussed three bills and a resolution this evening.
House Bill 4012 would reduce the burden on utility companies when constructing and maintaining power generation and transmission lines. This bill was moved to markup and passage
In discussion of the bill, Charlotte R. Lane, chairman of the Public Service Commission, said she was in favor of this bill except for a concern regarding section I in the amended bill. In the amended section for 24-2-11a, Lane said she was concerned about it possibly eliminating the responsibility of the PSC to look at costs when transmission lines are replaced.
House Bill 4489 would provide the authority to the Commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue vital records, such as birth certificates, death certificates, marriage and divorce records, in the custody of the State Registrar. This bill would also require the DMV and the Department of Health to implement a program so the DMV can access the previously mentioned vital records. This bill was moved to markup and passage.
House Bill 4696 would update the language in the Abandoned Mines Lands and Reclamation Act to allow for the Department of Environmental Protection office to receive federal funding. This bill was moved to markup and passage.
Travis Parsons, deputy director for the Office of Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation, said there are roughly 4000 or more mines that need to be reclaimed to create suitable land for West Virginians.
In addition to the discussion of bills, the committee discussed House Concurrent Resolution 4. This resolution would establish a Genesis Working Group to create statewide planning for “artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, digital infrastructure, and energy-based economic development.” This would include integrating data centers, bitcoin mining, and AI clusters. This resolution was moved to markup and passage.
