March 17, 2025 - The West Virginia Senate adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 18 on Monday.

The resolution, which now goes to the West Virginia House of Delegates, is the start of a state effort to protect and support the coal industry.

The West Virginia Coal Renaissance Act directs the West Virginia Department of Commerce, West Virginia Coalfield Development, West Virginia Public Energy Authority and West Virginia Office of Energy to work together to develop strategies to “fully develop coal production and in-state coal consumption”

"The war on coal has went on for decades, but it was done under a lie," said Sen. Chris Rose, R-Monongalia, chair of the Senate Energy, Industry and Mining Committee. "The energy that the federal government has tried to subsidize to put coal and gas out of business has been based on a lie."

Sen. Chris Rose

Other electricity generation methods are "unreliable, unaffordable" and aren't economically viable without federal subsidies, Rose said.

"But you know what does stand on its own merit? Coal- fired generation," he said. "It's what has kept the lights on; it's what has kept the bills paid; and it's created tens of thousands of good-paying jobs here in the Mountain State."

SCR 18 is a "way to get back to what works," Rose said.

"Merit-based energy," he said. "The coal underneath their feet will help these communities be revitalized, these coal plants running 100% and creating good-paying jobs all around the Mountain State."

The Senate Energy, Industry and Mining Committee would be responsible for overseeing progress of the initiative. It would report quarterly to the Legislative Joint Committee on Government and Finance.

The group of partners would explore plans for the following:

• New coal-fired and coke plants
• New coal-to-products operations
• Necessary regulatory provisions to establish a program for coal-fired utilities to make all regular coal plant upgrades and maintenance programs to run more efficiently and extend plant life
• Necessary agreements to keep existing coal plants from closing prematurely
• Necessary regulatory provisions to prevent coal-fired utilities the use of privatization for closing coal-fired generations

Gov. Patrick Morrisey, who has pledged to work closely with the Trump administration to increase energy production, recently visited the Blue Creek Coal Processing Plant in Kanawha County.

“I’m here today to tell you that coal is back, and we have an opportunity between coal, gas, water and other forms of energy to make sure that West Virginia is powering the energy needs of our country once again,” the governor said in a video from the visit. “West Virginia is America’s energy state. And now our energy is needed more than ever.”

Gov. Patrick Morrisey

There are nine coal-fired electrical generation facilities in West Virginia: Pleasants Power Station, Harrison Power Station, Mountaineer Power, John Amos, Mount Storm, Morgantown Energy Associates, Longview Power, Fort Martin Power Station and Mitchell Power.