HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 80

(By Delegate Rowe)

[Introduced March 10, 2017]

Urging the Governor and the Cabinet of the Governor to take immediate action to pursue diversification of the economies of West Virginia’s southern coalfield communities.

Whereas, Due to reliance on the continuing success of the coal industry, the economies of West Virginia’s southern coalfield communities have suffered in recent years with decline in coal and coal-related economic activities; and

Whereas, Absent a significant, coordinated intervention by the state government and federal government, West Virginia’s southern coalfield communities will continue to endure hardships, including a lack of school and government funding, drug addiction, poor health, lack of education and lack of job opportunities; and

Whereas, Urgent action is needed by both the state government and the federal government to locate new federal facilities for technology, research and military development in the Montgomery to Bluefield corridor in association with the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, Concord University, Bluefield State College, BridgeValley Community and Technical College, New River Community and Technical College and Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, and to construct a modern Appalachian corridor, to fully accommodate vehicles of all sizes, with two to four lanes, connecting that corridor from the Beckley area to Corridor G and Logan and Mingo Counties, and to expand U.S. Route 52 into a modern commercial and tourism highway from Bluefield to Interstate 64 at Ceredo; and

Whereas, Along with the aforementioned projects, state and federal regulatory policies should be aligned with the advancement of the following goals to encourage commercial tourism development in West Virginia’s southern coalfield communities, creating new jobs in technology and research, promoting service industries, supporting new community and housing development, and expanding regional access to West Virginia’s institutions of higher learning for both in-state and out-of-state students; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Legislature urges the Governor and the Cabinet of the Governor to require all state agencies to evaluate and report to the Governor ideas on potential projects that could assist in diversifying West Virginia’s southern coalfield economies; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Legislature urges the Governor and the Cabinet of the Governor to pursue aggressively federal resources and projects to develop economic diversification in the Southern West Virginia coalfields.