In the News
Manchin focused on energy issues
by Steven Allen Adams
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin believes the Inflation Reduction Act puts West Virginia in the ideal situation to offer both fossil fuel energy and clean energy solutions, and he is simply too busy making sure the IRA is properly implemented to worry about his political future. “I think it’s a tremendous opportunity for West Virginia,” Manchin said. “We are fertile ground to finding out what energy policies will work and not jeopardize our energy … Continue Reading
April 06, 2023
Permitting reform much needed
by Editorial
We applaud U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, who continue to represent West Virginians — and all Americans — well by working to strengthen this nation’s energy independence. Unfortunately, the senators’ efforts continue to run into obstacles put in place by the Biden administration, as well as by a process that allows far too many energy project challenges through regulatory and legal maneuvering. The latest example came Monday, as the 4th Circuit of … Continue Reading
March 27, 2023
Manchin, Barrasso Introduce Outdoor Recreation Act
by Staff
Legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., seeks to increase and improve access to outdoor recreational opportunities. Manchin joined U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., in introducing the America’s Outdoor Recreation Act of 2023 (AORA). Originally introduced in the 117th Congress as the Outdoor Recreation Act, the bipartisan legislation would increase and improve outdoor recreation opportunities across the nation while improving infrastructure and driving economic … Continue Reading
March 27, 2023
Manchin, Barrasso introduce outdoor recreation act
by Bluefield Daily Telegraph Staff
Legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., seeks to increase and improve access to outdoor recreational opportunities. Manchin joined U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., in introducing the America’s Outdoor Recreation Act of 2023 (AORA). Originally introduced in the 117th Congress as the Outdoor Recreation Act, the bipartisan legislation would increase and improve outdoor recreation opportunities across the nation while improving infrastructure and driving economic … Continue Reading
March 22, 2023
Manchin joins 21 GOP senators in push to ban China from World Bank loans
by Elizabeth Elkind
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and 21 Republican senators and are coalescing around a bill that aims to cut the Chinese government off from the World Bank’s lending program. GOP Conference Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo., introduced the legislation on Tuesday, one day after China’s president and leader of the ruling Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That meeting sparked feasr that Beijing could soon use its considerable … Continue Reading
March 07, 2023
An American problem
by Editorial
On a day that the U.S. Senate continued the tradition of reading President George Washington’s farewell address, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., seized upon the moment to remind President Joe Biden and fellow lawmakers of some sage advice from Washington that has for too long fallen on deaf ears in Washington. “Washington warned of the dangers of putting the will of a political party ahead of the will of the nation. Washington warned against the accumulation of debt and encouraged … Continue Reading
February 24, 2023
Manchin visits Wood County Senior Citizens Association, Wincore
by Evan Bevins
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin visited Wood County Thursday to tout the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act for senior citizens and businesses. “The administration has sold it as an environmental bill,” said Manchin, D-W.Va., before speaking at the Wood County Senior Citizens Association’s Senior Center on Green in Parkersburg. “It’s so much more than an environmental bill.” While the legislation includes about $375 billion over 10 years to encourage … Continue Reading
February 06, 2023
U.S. Department of Transportation approves Safe Streets Grant for Fayette-Raleigh Counties of the NRG Region
by Staff
Local leaders will be able to plan improvements in pedestrian, bicycle, and motorized safety in the gateway communities throughout Fayette and Raleigh counties of the New River Gorge, thanks to approval of a $199,200 U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) grant. The Safe Streets and Roads for All proposal was submitted September 20, 2022, by the Fayette Raleigh Metropolitan Planning Organization. New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA) assisted with the Safe Streets regional … Continue Reading
February 03, 2023
Free market, not ESG, should determine investments
by Editorial
We applaud the efforts of U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, as well as West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, in fighting a Biden Administration rule that will allow 401(k) managers to consider climate change and other environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors when selecting investments. Both Manchin and Capito say the rule prioritizes politics over allowing for the best returns for Americans’ retirement investments. “At a time when our country … Continue Reading
February 01, 2023
All GOP senators, Manchin challenge Biden's ESG climate investment rule 'politicizing' Americans' 401(k)s
by Kelly Laco
Every Republican senator and Democrat Joe Manchin are introducing legislation that they hope will terminate the Biden administration's new environment, social and governance (ESG) rule, which they say "politicizes" the retirement savings for 152 million Americans. The Biden administration's Department of Labor unveiled a rule in November, set to go into effect on Jan. 30, that allows retirement plan managers to factor environmental and social issues into investment … Continue Reading
February 01, 2023
Mon Forest to provide U.S. Capitol tree
by Edgar Kelley
The Monongahela National Forest was recently chosen to provide this year’s official Christmas Tree that will stand on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., during the 2023 holiday season. Each year a tree is selected from a different national forest across the United States and this will mark the first time since the 1970s that West Virginia and the Mon National Forest have been selected. Overall, this will mark the third time that a tree has been chosen from the … Continue Reading
December 22, 2022
Form Energy to invest nearly $800 million into battery manufacturing facility in Weirton, West Virginia
by Charles Young
Form Energy plans to invest nearly $800 million in the Weirton area, officials announced Thursday. The company, which manufactures “multi-day” renewable batteries, will locate a manufacturing facility on 55 acres of property along the Ohio River, said state Economic Development Secretary Mitch Carmichael. The facility will “immediately” bring up to 750 jobs to “downtown Weirton,” said Gov. Jim Justice. The state offered Form Energy “a unique … Continue Reading
December 12, 2022
Capito, Manchin teaming with West Virginia Office of Broadband to challenge FCC maps
by Charles Young
U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin have teamed with the West Virginia Office of Broadband to challenge the Federal Communications Commission’s recently released draft broadband coverage map. During a virtual informational session Monday, members of the senators’ staffs and representatives of state Office of Broadband encouraged residents to review the map and submit a challenge to any inaccurate information they find. State residents can search the FCC’s draft … Continue Reading
November 08, 2022
Fairmont: Homeless veteran finds shelter
by Allen Siegler
Life has been difficult for Ronald Kirkham over the past six weeks. The Preston County resident and Desert Storm veteran said that because of a domestic dispute involving a friend and their girlfriend, he is no longer allowed to return to his home. “In two weeks, I went from a successful business person to a homeless person on a bicycle,” Kirkham said while eating lunch at a picnic table in Fairmont’s Palatine Park. Kirkham’s experience with homelessness … Continue Reading
November 03, 2022
Manchin praises teen for spurring Hurricane skatepark project
by Amanda Larch
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin presented a Hurricane High School student a certificate of recognition Thursday for his efforts in creating a new multi-use skatepark and for engaging with his community leaders to bring about meaningful change. Nate Giertz, a freshman at Hurricane High, emailed a letter to Hurricane Mayor Scott Edwards last year about constructing a new skatepark in the city after traveling to other skateparks in the area. From there, the city approved the project and construction began … Continue Reading
October 25, 2022
Manchin calls on administration to finalize rural area classification and healthcare funding eligibility research
by Brandy Lawrence
Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) urges Dr. Spiro Stefanou, Administrator of the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to fulfill research to classify rural areas in West Virginia correctly. The ERS develops Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) Codes to define rural communities nationwide. The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) uses the codes to determine eligibility for rural health grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration … Continue Reading
June 29, 2022
Veterans: Congress right to derail cuts to health care
by Editorial
Members of Congress appear to have banded together to get at least one thing right, as they announced this week they have brought a halt to plans to close and downsize rural veterans’ hospitals across the country. They did so by choosing not to vote on a slate of nominees for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission. “I’ve got the whole committee on board, so we’re just shutting down everything,” said U.S. Sen. Joe … Continue Reading
May 24, 2022
Senators from Rural States Trying to Stop Wave of VA Hospital Closures Before They Start
by Patricia Kime
Senators from four states have introduced legislation to dismantle a commission tasked with studying the Department of Veterans Affairs' hospital system and making recommendations on consolidation and closures of facilities. West Virginia Sens. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, and Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, joined senators from New Mexico, South Dakota and New Hampshire to support a bill that would eliminate the VA Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission, saying the process favors … Continue Reading
May 18, 2022
NASA IV&V Facility showcases STEM outreach at WVSSAC State Robotics Championship
by John Mark Shaver
Earlier this week, NASA’s Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility played a key role in West Virginia’s first-ever WVSSAC Robotics State Championship, an involvement that was certainly noticed by state representatives and high-ranking NASA officials. On Monday, 24 teams from 24 West Virginia high schools gathered at Fairmont State University for the competition, which was attended by Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, administrators from NASA and … Continue Reading
April 19, 2022
Future of Earth’s Defense is Ground-based Planetary Radar
by Jill Malusky
Powerful radar systems have played a major role in the study of planets, moons, asteroids, and other objects in our Solar System for several decades, and now have a “unique role” to play in planetary defense – “providing protection to the nations of the world from devastating asteroid and comet impacts,” according to the newly released Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and … Continue Reading
