Happy birthday, America.
I always look forward to the Fourth of July celebrations and festivities, including family get-togethers and long-lasting picnics.
This year, I hope for additional prosperity for our state and a revival of traditional industries that have made us strong.
Among those is the coal industry.
Coal remains essential to the production of electric power in West Virginia.
And for that matter, to the entire eastern United States.
Coal continues to underpin our economy, and the industry is one of the largest employers in the state.
As I have said in the past, our Commission has welcomed, and continues to welcome, all forms of energy, from whatever their source.
But I maintain that the energy produced must be constant and reliable. It cannot flick off when the wind no longer blows or the sun goes down. Though Nuclear power might play a role in the future, that future is still a long way off.
We are also a large producer of natural gas, and hopefully, more of this gas will be used in the future, too.
And the need for electric energy is only going to increase now and, in the future, both here and nationally.
West Virginia is uniquely positioned to enjoy the benefits of that expanded energy need.
This state is the second-largest producer of coal in the nation.
In this time of world turbulence and troubled war spots across the globe, we have a constant and safe energy fuel. And its supply to us will not be interrupted by any foreign conflicts.
We also sit right in the middle of the largest energy exchange network in the United States: the PJM grid system, which provides energy to a large part of the mid-Atlantic seaboard.
The present administration in Washington and Governor Morrisey’s state government here in Charleston are both committed to promoting coal as a domestic energy source.
The resurrection of coal may take a little time as we work through new incentives from Washington and at the local level.
But as far as electric power is concerned, we will remain energy independent long into the future as long as we rely on what underlies our mountains. And, with that, the lights will remain on.
It’s a good thought as we consider the anniversary of our nation’s independence.
