In The News

The federal permitting process for Nucor’s planned steel mill in Mason County is taking too much time, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito says. “I absolutely think it’s moving too slowly,” Capito, R-W.Va., the ranking Republican member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said during a virtual news conference on Thursday. “I mean, I think I made that clear to the General and I’ve talked with him before.” On Wednesday, Capito participated in a... Read More

We may not always see eye-to-eye with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, but we wholly agree with her that emergency mental health care needs reform, and we applaud her bipartisan legislation, the Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act.  The bill, which she cosponsors with Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), would create a grant program for emergency departments (EDs) to help acquire more resources or connect with local psychiatric services to help people who come to the... Read More

CHARLESTON — U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito both agree President Joe Biden needs to come to the table with Republican and Democratic lawmakers as the debt ceiling deadline looms at the end of the month, but they also have competing permitting reform plans. Manchin, D-W.Va., and Capito, R-W.Va., both held virtual briefings with West Virginia reporters Thursday afternoon to discuss their thoughts on the debt ceiling and permitting reform. Treasury Department Secretary Janet... Read More

CHARLESTON — U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito both agree President Joe Biden needs to come to the table with Republican and Democratic lawmakers as the debt ceiling deadline looms at the end of the month, but they also have competing permitting reform plans. Manchin, D-W.Va., and Capito, R-W.Va., both held virtual briefings with West Virginia reporters Thursday afternoon to discuss their thoughts on the debt ceiling and permitting reform. Treasury Department Secretary Janet... Read More

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., both said Thursday they are confident the nation will not default on its debt and some sort of spending limits will be worked out. Manchin said during a virtual press briefing that raising the debt ceiling “has to be done,” but spending limits to address the growing national debt, which is now more than the $31 trillion limit set in January, also have to be in place. “For 21 years in a row the U.S. government... Read More

We may not always see eye-to-eye with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, but we wholly agree with her that emergency mental health care needs reform, and we applaud her bipartisan legislation, the Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act.  The bill, which she cosponsors with Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), would create a grant program for emergency departments (EDs) to help acquire more resources or connect with local psychiatric services to help people who come to the... Read More

West Virginia’s senators say negotiations over the nation’s debt ceiling are likely to be resolved with concessions, potentially averting economic turmoil. “We will not miss paying our bills. We will not have a default, That’s my prediction,” Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said on a call with state reporters. “How much games will be played and how much damage can be done, I’d like to avoid that completely. But default’s not in the cards for... Read More

WASHINGTON, W.Va. (WV News) — Just days after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., re-introduced a bill aimed at overhauling the federal permitting process for energy projects, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., has introduced a permitting bill of her own. Capito, ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, put forward the Revitalizing the Economy by Simplifying Timelines and Assuring Regulatory Transparency (RESTART) Act. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., ranking member of the... Read More

Republican senators unveiled revamped legislation Thursday to fast-track the approval of new energy projects currently hamstrung by environmental hurdles, rivaling a similar measure from Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III. The GOP measure, led by Sens. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and John Barrasso of Wyoming, would take a more aggressive approach to boost domestic energy production of all forms and lower surging costs. It would overhaul the permitting process in four... Read More

Key Senate Republicans laid out their vision Thursday for how to speed up the approval process for energy and other infrastructure projects, but they also signaled a willingness to work with Democrats to get bipartisan legislation across the finish line.  The new proposals, from Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), articulate a starting point for the GOP amid interest in working on the issue from both parties. Two other recent proposals... Read More

News that the federal government faces a debt limit deadline far sooner than previously expected could give supporters of overhauling the nation’s permitting process a rare boost: an actual deadline to complete negotiations. It’s an open question whether lawmakers can reach a permitting deal within that time frame, and senators on Tuesday were split on what could be achievable by June 1. Still, a firm deadline gives them ambition to compromise. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.),... Read More

WASHINGTON (WV News) — Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito are calling on President Joe Biden to negotiate with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over the federal debt limit. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the nation could default on its debt as soon as June 1 unless a compromise is reached on government spending. Manchin, a Democrat, issued a statement asking Biden to meet with McCarthy while there’s still time. “I hope President Biden’s invitation to... Read More

Bipartisan legislation sponsored on April 27 by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) aims to help patients receive better health care for mental illness in emergency departments. “Millions of Americans are living with mental health issues and many turn to their local emergency department for care. Too often, the specialized care and care settings these patients need is not readily available, resulting in many hours – and sometimes days –  waiting for the care they... Read More

West Virginia congressional representatives want to push the Biden administration to negotiate as the country nears a deadline for resolving payment of its current debt. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the United States could be unable to meet its debt obligations by June 1, just a few weeks away, if Congress doesn’t act sooner. The Congressional Budget Office also revised its estimate to say the Treasury seems likely to run out of funds by... Read More

Federal funding is continuing to support Head Start and Early Head Start services in the area with a $5 million grant announced Monday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has earmarked the money for CASEWV (Community Action of South Eastern West Virginia, Inc.), based in Bluefield, and the funds will help provide provide high-quality school-readiness services to young children and families. “We are honored to continue to provide high-quality school readiness services to... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTAP) – U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., was one of two U.S. Senators to reintroduce the Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act. The legislation would improve the way patients receive mental health care for mental illness in emergency departments, according to a statement from Capito. The bipartisan bill would create a competitive grant program for emergency departments that update mental health care models. The Improving Mental... Read More

WASHINGTON (WV News) — The Biden administration has signaled its support of the Mountain Valley Pipeline project, as West Virginia’s senatorial delegation continues to push for an overhaul of the federal energy project permitting process. U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm recently sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission all but urging the body to aid the completion of the long-delayed natural gas transmission project. “While the Department... Read More

SANDSTONE, W.Va. (WV News) — The nation’s newest national park recently grew by nearly 1,000 acres. The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve officially added 963 acres, increasing the amount of public land available for hunting and outdoor recreation activities. The additional acreage was acquired by The Conservation Fund in November 2021 and was recently transferred to the National Parks Service thanks to funding from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. The added... Read More

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Permitting reform remains alive and well in the U.S. Senate, despite two previous failed bills. “Permitting reform is front and center on my agenda,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito told West Virginia reporters on Thursday afternoon. All kinds of projects – energy, water, broadband – are “stymied in a ping pong of regulatory mayhem.” Capito is ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, which held its first hearing on... Read More

HUNTINGTON — Celebration filled the Christ Temple Church in Huntington as the Mountwest Community and Technical class of 2023 graduated Friday night. The celebration was for 249 graduates from the fall, spring and upcoming summer semesters. 85 graduates walked during Friday’s ceremony. Mountwest President Josh Baker called upon the graduates’ parents, siblings, extended family and children to thank them for the support and encouragement they’ve provided to graduates over... Read More