In The News

WASHINGTON (WV News) — Following several failed attempts in recent years, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said she’s feeling bullish about the prospect of finally seeing the permitting process for federal energy projects reformed. On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, which was supported by West Virginia Republican Reps. Carol Miller and Alex Mooney. The legislation seeks to overhaul the permitting process for all energy... Read More

Foes of President Joe Biden’s proposed regulation to strengthen federal regulatory protection for wetlands, small streams and other bodies of water have scored a legislative win with congressional approval of a measure that would invalidate the rule. But the victory may well be only temporary. The White House has said Biden will veto the resolution and opponents of the rule almost surely will be unable to muster the two-thirds majorities needed in each chamber of Congress to... Read More

West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito said President Biden’s vow to veto a Senate measure to overturn the waters of the U.S. rule is insensitive. The rule allowed the EPA to declare what kinds of streams, from farm ponds or irrigation ditches to actual rivers and lakes, as "navigable waters," subject to deep permit requirements. "But he is really not listening to the voices of the heartland of the country if he vetoes this,” Capito said. “It's a very far-reaching rule that... Read More

The Senate passed a measure Wednesday to cancel a key Biden administration rule that defines what water bodies are subject to federal regulation under the Clean Water Act, sending the bill to President Joe Biden’s desk, where he is expected to veto it. Senators voted 53-43 to overturn the rule. Lawmakers are able to move forward by utilizing a congressional tool that rescinds recently finalized rules with a simple majority vote in both chambers. The... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress on Wednesday approved a resolution to overturn the Biden administration’s protections for the nation’s waterways that Republicans have criticized as a burden on business, advancing a measure that President Joe Biden has promised to veto. Republicans have targeted the Biden administration’s protections for thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways, labeling it an environmental overreach that harms businesses, developers... Read More

The Senate on Wednesday adopted a resolution that would nix the Biden administration’s clean water regulations, setting up another anticipated veto from the president. In the 53-43 vote, four Democrats sided with Republicans in favor of eliminating the Biden rule: Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.) and Jon Tester (Mont.).   Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), who switched her affiliation from Democratic to... Read More

WASHINGTON—The Senate approved a measure aimed at challenging a new Biden administration clean-water regulation, but it faces an expected White House veto.  The resolution, which has already passed the House, cleared the Senate Wednesday in a 53-43 vote. It seeks to revoke a Biden administration rule that expanded the definition of waterways subject to federal pollution regulations. Supporters of the resolution say the Biden rule expanded protections to insignificant bodies of water,... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday approved and sent to President Biden another Republican-led measure to overturn an administration rule, this one a rollback of new clean water regulations opposed by business and agriculture interests. Mr. Biden has pledged to veto the legislation blocking the “waters of the United States” rule, but the approval of the measure marked the second time this month that Republicans have broken away enough Democrats to force a veto showdown over... Read More

WASHINGTON (WV News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the first over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray. The agency gave approval for Narcan, 4 milligram naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray for over-the-counter, nonprescription, use. This is the first naloxone product that has been approved for use without a prescription. Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdose and is the standard treatment for opioid overdose. The... Read More

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WV News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for nasal Narcan, the life-saving opioid overdose medication, to be sold without a prescription for the first time. Gov. Jim Justice, during his briefing Wednesday, said he would support efforts to increase access to the medication throughout the state. “This just saves lives — that’s all there is to it,” he said. “Anything we could possibly do to make things better and... Read More

HUNTINGTON — The Cabell-Huntington Health Department presented three of its community partners with $1.2 million on Tuesday to reimburse them for their COVID-19 testing efforts. Tuesday morning, the health department presented COVID-19 testing partners Marshall University, Marshall Health and Mountain Health Network with a check for the funds, which were secured through the Federal Emergency Management Agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “Emergency response,... Read More

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued an alert Monday warning of a “sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine,” which is also known as “tranq” or “tranq dope.” Xylazine has flown under the radar of federal officials because of its status as a veterinary drug. Meaning, it is not a controlled substance and therefore not subject to review by federal authorities. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)... Read More

Legislation from U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) to help prevent system outages at the Federal Aviation Administration passed the Senate Commerce Committee last week. The NOTAM Improvement Act would require the FAA to establish a task force to improve NOTAM, which alerts pilots of safety and location hazards on flight routes. The bill would increase the system’s resiliency and cybersecurity, officials said. The senators proposed the... Read More

WASHINGTON (WV News) — Members of West Virginia’s congressional delegation have joined a group of regional lawmakers to introduce legislation to ensure the continued involvement of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Federal Advisory Commission in decisions that affect the park. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va, Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., each released statements Monday in support of extending the commission. “The C&O Canal has... Read More

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, announced $7,094,905 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for six programs that will support medical research and improve health care services across West Virginia. She also announced that West Virginia was one of 15 states selected to receive a $1,000,000, one-year Certified Community Behavioral Health... Read More

WEIRTON, W.Va. — A road improvement project on former Weirton Steel Corp. land in Weirton has received more support from U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., according to the Weirton Daily Times. The road will provide access to the Frontier Crossing development which includes the proposed Form Energy battery plant. The senators announced last Wednesday that the project will receive $1.5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending currently... Read More

The Senate could vote as early as this week to eliminate a key rule that governs which bodies of water are subject to federal regulation under the Clean Water Act, possibly forcing President Joe Biden to issue the second veto of his presidency. Earlier this month, lawmakers in the House passed a disapproval resolution 227-198 under the Congressional Review Act to scrap the Biden administration’s Waters of the United States rule, which designates... Read More

It’s hard to imagine a resource as precious as water. It grows our crops, hydrates our bodies, and affects the climate. Perhaps no one knows the importance of water more than farmers and ranchers, and few are more invested in ensuring water is clean. But, the latest Waters of the U.S. Rule finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency fails to achieve the goal of protecting the nation’s waterways, creating instead complicated and overreaching regulations. The Biden administration... Read More

President Biden’s energy policy is summed up by last year’s $370 billion gift to the climate lobby, aka the Inflation Reduction Act. That leaves an opening for Congress, where House Republicans unveiled their energy agenda this month. The plan should have a shot if self-described moderate Democrats stand by their claims. Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s Lower Energy Costs Act includes reforms to unburden energy producers and cut costs for consumers. It would repeal the... Read More

We’re glad to see U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, speak directly — and forcefully — on several national issues that have significant impact here in West Virginia. Capito was part of a delegation that recently traveled south of the border to meet with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, urging him to do more in addressing the border crisis, as well as the ongoing drug and human trafficking that is being conducted by Mexican cartels. The... Read More