Briefs ...
May 10—WVDOH continues spring pothole patching across region
The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) continues milling and filling potholes throughout West Virginia.
Crews continued work in the following area locations Thursday:
—US 219, Helvetia-Adolph Road, and Bell Crouch Road, Randolph County.
—US 60 and WV 61, Fayette County.
—Hokes Mill Road, Germany Road, Coffman Hill Road, Crag Road, and Shoestring Trail Road, Greenbrier County.
—Cove Mountain Road and Dropping Lick Road, Monroe County.
—WV 20 and Irish Corner Road, Nicholas County.
—WV 102, Clarks Gap, Egeria Road, Blake Hollow Road, Jugneck Hollow Road, Sharps Turn Road, Rocky Branch Road, and Kegley River Road, Mercer County.
—Blue Jay Six Road, George Brammer Road, Burmeister Avenue, West Raleigh Road, and Tolliver Street, Raleigh County.
—Wagon Wheel Road, Wyoming County.
Inclement weather may affect patching schedules.
Morrisey co-leads multistate suit asking court to declare EPA's new rule on power plants unlawful
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is co-leading with Indiana a coalition of 25 states in a lawsuit asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review and declare unlawful the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recently-released new rule on existing coal, natural gas and oil-fired power plants.
The rule would force power plants fueled by coal or natural gas to capture smokestack emissions or shut down, according to Morrisey.
It would regulate those plants under the Clean Air Act by imposing more stringent emissions standards. Morrisey said the new rule ignores 2022's rebuke from the U.S. Supreme Court in West Virginia v. EPA, which warned that EPA should not use a narrow regulatory provision to force coal-fired power plants into retirement en masse.
"The EPA continues to not fully understand the direction from the Supreme Court — unelected bureaucrats continue their pursuit to legislate rather than rely on elected members of Congress for guidance," Morrisey said. "This green new deal agenda the Biden administration continues to force onto the people is setting up the plants to fail and therefore shutter, altering the nation's already stretched grid."
Morrisey said Congress hasn't given the EPA clear statutory authorization to remake the electricity grids. That means the agency cannot sidestep Congress to exercise broad regulatory power that would radically transform the nation's energy grids — and force states to fundamentally shift their energy portfolios away from fossil fuel-fired generation, Morrisey added.
West Virginia will also be filing a motion to stay the new rule as soon as possible.
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming joined the West Virginia- and Indiana-led lawsuit.
Health organization welcomes two new providers
TAZEWELL, Va. — Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems' Tazewell Community Health Center is welcoming two new medical providers Hope Campbell, FNP, and Susan Horne, FNP-BC, to better serve the patients of the Tazewell community and surrounding areas.
Campbell started at SVCHS in October 2023. She is board-certified through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and finished her education at Walden University in 2019.
Horne started at SVCHS in March 2024. She is board-certified through the American Nurses Credentialing as a family nurse practitioner and finished her education at Bluefield College in 2021.
SVCHS has community health centers in Tazewell, Va. Meadowview, Va., Saltville, Va. and Bristol, Va. along with pediatric services in Bristol, Va. and Tazewell, Va. S
Appalachian Power to begin power line aerial maintenance
Appalachian Power announced Thursday that the company plans to use helicopters this week to begin an aerial maintenance program to maintain the rights-of-way for some power lines in West Virginia.
Herbicides will be applied via helicopter, dependent upon weather conditions.
Lines scheduled for maintenance in the area include:
McDowell County
—Iaeger-Jim Branch 46kV — A transmission line on steel structures and wood poles beginning at the Jim Branch Station near Coalwood, running northwest, passing near Apple Grove and ending at the Iaeger Station near Iaeger.
—Bearwallow-Faraday 138kV — A transmission line on steel structures beginning at the Faraday Station near Amonate Mines, running west to the West Virginia-Virginia state line near Bearwallow, Va.
—Switchback-Saltville 138kV — A transmission line on steel structures beginning at the Switchback Station near Switchback, running southwest, passing near Jenkinjones and ending at the West Virginia-Virginia state line near Monson.
Mercer County
—Speedway Tap 138kV — A transmission tap line on wood structures beginning at the Hatcher Station near Princeton, running north and ending at the Speedway Station near Athens.
—Halls Ridge Extension 138kV — A transmission line on steel structures beginning at the Halls Ridge Station near Halls Ridge, running south and ending at the main line near Hilltop Road.
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
