- Associated Press - Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Recent editorials from West Virginia newspapers:

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Feb. 4

The Martinsburg Journal on the next steps for a bill that would give businesses relief from property taxes:

Regarding an important bill in the West Virginia Legislature, both Republican and Democrat lawmakers deserve plaudits for making their branch of government work as the nation’s founders intended. That is to say, without partisanship being the key to how issues are decided.

A measure that would give some businesses relief from property taxes has been discussed for a couple of years, now. It calls for a constitutional amendment that would have to be approved by Mountain State voters.

Proponents of a bill to authorize such a vote say it would be an important economic development strategy. In essence, it would phase out property taxes on manufacturing machinery, making our state more attractive for that type of development.

If approved by lawmakers, then ratified by voters, the change would phase out about $100 million in property taxes during a period of several years.

Though the step is being advocated by Republicans, a number of Democrat legislators have said they might support it - under one condition.

Nearly all of the revenue foregone under the measure would affect local governments, not the state. Democratic Party cynics want concrete assurances counties - including public schools - will not be hurt.

In other words, a number of Democrat lawmakers are playing the classic role of “loyal opposition” - not opposing the plan for partisan reasons but, instead, out of a desire to ensure no one gets hurt by a step intended to help our state.

Nothing in government comes with guarantees, of course. But surely proponents of the tax relief can find a way to ensure it does not become a burden to public schools and other local government entities.

Republicans pushing for the change are right to do so. So are Democrats concerned with the effect on local governments.

Surely, in that atmosphere, a compromise can be reached.

Online: https://www.journal-news.net

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Feb. 4

The Herald-Dispatch on recently released federal funds for flood damage recovery:

People in West Virginia’s Nicholas County received good news at the end of January, when the Federal Emergency Management Agency released about $132 million to rebuild schools that had to be demolished following the June 2016 flood.

A few months ago, in November, FEMA released $52 million to rebuild Herbert Hoover High School in Kanawha County, which also had to be razed following the 2016 floods. Site preparation work for the new school has begun.

Meanwhile, plans are still being formulated for the new schools in Nicholas County, according to an article by Ryan Quinn in The Charleston Gazette-Mail. Nicholas County school officials hope construction on the new schools there can begin this spring. Construction could take 3 ½ years, which would schedule the new schools for opening in 2023 - seven years after the flood.

Having the money released is good news, but it raises a question: Why does it take bureaucracy so long to release money to meet a critical need?

It’s like the problem West Virginia state government had with the RISE program. Red tape can slow things down to a crawl when immediate help is needed.

When the floods hit in 2016, volunteers in the private sector were mobilizing before the waters went down. People donated cleaning supplies, heavy equipment and their own labor to help those affected worst by the flood.

To be fair about the schools, finding a place out of the floodplain to build a school or any building of appreciable size can be difficult in most of West Virginia. Most building is done in flood plains because most real estate is vertical or nearly so. Larger communities benefit from floodwalls. Smaller communities usually cannot justify the cost, and federal regulations prohibit building large public works in unprotected floodplains.

Placing a new school on a mountaintop, as is happening with Hoover, means months of site review and planning before land can be purchased, and that must be followed by months of preparing the site and building an access road.

It’s a long process that cannot be rushed, and FEMA’s not going to release money until local officials have performed their due diligence, which includes complying with FEMA regulations. But three and a half years?

The first school year after the flood, Herbert Hoover students shared a building with the middle school at Elkview. The next year, they moved into portable units on stilts near the middle school. The new Herbert Hoover is scheduled to open in fall 2022, so this year’s graduating class will be the first of three to graduate without having attended classes in their permanent building.

The amount of damage in different parts of southern West Virginia in 2016 could be a factor in the delay in recovery. And if you’re building new schools that will be in service for decades, you want to plan the curriculum of the future. So yes, things take time, but they should not take this much time. There has to be a better and faster way to recover from a disaster.

The word “disaster” literally means “ill-starred,” as if the stars had decided to inflict woe upon an area. The stars aren’t holding up the work here. Between RISE and FEMA, people are justified in wondering if maybe there’s too much paperwork involved in putting their lives back together after a natural disaster.

Online: https://www.herald-dispatch.com

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Feb. 3

The Charleston Gazette-Mail on West Virginia’s renewable energy sector:

It’s going to take a lot to turn West Virginia’s economy around. No one thing is going to do it.

Just ask Mike Graney, executive director of the West Virginia Development Office, charged with recruiting and growing businesses in the Mountain State.

In a budget meeting with the Senate Finance Committee, Graney listed two familiar priorities for any business when looking for a location: a qualified workforce and available workforce training, two things that are improving somewhat, but could be better. He added that tax credits and other economic incentives help.

Then, a curve ball. As Phil Kabler noted in his Statehouse Beat column, Graney said the state’s lack of development pertaining to renewable energy hurts business recruiting efforts. And that’s not just Graney’s opinion.

“Not having, frankly, the solar box checked is a problem, and we’ve heard that from a lot of different companies,” he said.

Interestingly, Graney didn’t mention repealing the inventory tax, the GOP-controlled Legislature’s white whale for the 2020 session. Commerce Secretary Ed Gaunch made sure to lob that out there.

Graney’s job is to bring business to West Virginia, and he’s saying the lack of a renewable energy sector is a drawback, and companies that might consider coming here are telling him this. So the Legislature, and economic development and business agencies, might want to listen.

West Virginia politicians and those driving their agendas will continue to cling to fossil fuels, no doubt. While coal continues to die its slow death, natural gas will be extracted in West Virginia for some time.

Of course, that doesn’t mean investment in renewable energy sources and creating jobs here in that market shouldn’t be pursued. The last time this state put all its eggs in one basket, it didn’t work out so well in the long run. It was ultimately bad for workers, who came away with serious health concerns and continue to be phased out of their jobs. It was bad for communities, bereft after coal companies pulled out, leaving behind crumbling infrastructure, environmental hazards and few places to find gainful employment.

While pipeline construction has helped state revenue collection in the past, it’s still fair to ask just how much the natural gas industry in West Virginia helps actual West Virginians. The answer could be quite a bit, if some plans come through. But why not go after other businesses that can create jobs and actually diversify the state’s economy in the meantime?

Online: https://www.wvgazettemail.com

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