Keeping West Virginia Green

By: Randy C. Huffman
Issue: Spring 2009

Over the last 30 years, our nation has made great strides in reducing our impact on the environment. Because of a commitment by society to pass new laws and regulations, our air and water are cleaner and we’re taking better precautions when disturbing the land for development.

Efforts to clean up or reduce one’s impact on the environment are commonly called green initiatives. As a society, we are greening our buildings, products, development and policy all across the country – and the same is true for West Virginia.

The efforts taking place across our state cover a broad range, including the study of producing alternative fuels, exploring future energy sources, reclaiming industrial sites to preserve undisturbed land and restoring streams that were damaged by acid mine drainage.

Activities with DEP Involvement

Currently, West Virginia coal generates the power needed for much of the northeastern United States. Coal is a finite resource and it is prudent to plan ahead to find other resources that can be used for energy production.

With that in mind, Gov. Joe Manchin created the Post Mining Land Use committee to study economic development needs, establish a master plan and eliminate barriers between the reclamation of former mine lands and the future needs of the economy.

Last year, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) teamed up with West Virginia University to study the viability of growing switchgrass, a tall grass with a deep root system, on mine lands and then harvesting it for the production of fuel. This three- to five-year study will measure economic costs in every step of the process, from planting the crops to producing the final product.

In West Virginia, clean abundant water is a valuable natural and economic resource. Last year, the legislature passed a law aimed at preventing the degradation of a number of West Virginia’s waterways. In addition, a water use survey was mandated by law for the DEP to keep an inventory of the state’s waters by requiring industries that use large volumes of water to report that use.

Recently, lawmakers enacted a law that requires producers of electronic devices such as televisions, radios and computers to either offer recycling for those products or pay a registration fee that would help the state provide one.

The state Division of Air Quality (DAQ) has teamed up with the Department of Education to promote idle-free bus zones at the state’s schools. By printing signs and making them available to the state’s county school systems, the DAQ is encouraging the reduction of diesel emissions to improve air quality.

Cleaning up and reclaiming former industrial sites to be used for commercial development preserves pristine lands around the state. Some examples include the District 3 Little League baseball field that was constructed on the former Owens Illinois glass plant site in Huntington, the Raleigh County Senior Citizen Center constructed on the former Richmond Dry Cleaners site in Beckley and a Monongalia County apartment complex in Star City that was built on a former petroleum bulk storage site.

In addition, the DEP is involved in restoring the aquatic habitats in the Little Coal River and Abram Creek and completed a flood protection project on Island Creek.

Business and Community Efforts

Looking beyond the efforts of policy makers and government officials, there are businesses and citizens in West Virginia that are responsible for green initiatives.

In Randolph County, the nation’s largest hardwood flooring manufacturer, Armstrong World Industries Inc., invested in improvements to its wood dust collection system to reduce its particulate matter emissions into the air. All of the wood dust generated at the Beverly plant is used either as fuel for its boilers or is sold to other businesses that use it to make wood pellets or manufacture composite decking products. The company won an Environmental Award from the DEP last year for reducing the amount of waste it generates and the amount of matter it releases into the air.

In January, residents of the Ashland community in McDowell County broke ground on a wastewater treatment plant that will help them reduce the amount of pollution released into their water. The plant was made possible through the cooperative effort of the people in that community, who worked together to identify the problem and then find a solution and funding to make it a reality.

All across the state, citizen watershed groups are working with the DEP’s Stream Partners Program to test the streams and rivers in their communities and educate others about how they can help keep them clean. Grants that are available through the Stream Partners Program make it possible to sustain watershed improvements at the local level.

Last year, more than 3,000 volunteers from all 55 counties helped clean up the state through the Rehabilitation Environmental Action Program’s (REAP’s) Make It Shine cleanup events and the Adopt-A-Highway program. Litter is more than just an eyesore. Trash along the roadside eventually ends up in our streams and rivers.

This spring, the Sustainable Schools West Virginia program will bring together county superintendents, college and university presidents and select staff for a statewide forum on how to create greener schools.

And, “I Travel Green,” a new voluntary program that registers and benchmarks travel and tourism organizations that have made a commitment to improving environmental, socio-cultural and economic performance, is beginning to grow.

Supporting Sustainability

Whether initiated by policy makers, business leaders or citizens, green initiatives can be found all across the state and in many cases, the DEP can support those efforts. Whether it is through our free workshops on Sustainability Awareness and Environmental Management Systems that teach businesses and organizations how to change the way they do business, or through a grant from our Stream Partners Program or REAP, we can help you make the right connections or give you the tools you need to make West Virginia a greener state in which to live, work and play. Together, we share the responsibility to take care of our beautiful state and preserve it for future generations.

Randy C. Huffman is the cabinet secretary for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. A native West Virginian, he has worked for the agency for more than 20 years, holding a number of positions before being appointed in 2008 to the top regulatory post by Gov. Joe Manchin.