West Virginia's Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Act: The "Mountain State's" Latest Attempt to Quit its Addiction to Coal

Authors

  • Alexander R. Paalborg

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/pjephl.2011.57

Abstract

This note's purpose is to objectively analyze West Virginia's recently enacted Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Act ("AREPA") to determine whether it is the most ambitious alternative and renewable energy legislation that West Virginia can enact given its current political climate. Although coal may currently provide substantial economic benefits to West Virginia, future reliance on coal resources will be detrimental to the state's overall welfare due to dwindling coal reserves and coal's hazardous effects on the environment and public health. Because of coal's negative public health and environmental effects, coalmining states face tremendous federal, state, and local pressures to implement cleaner energy production methods. In 2009, West Virginia enacted AREPA to quell some of these mounting concerns. The legislation, however, has an unusually permissive definition of "alternative" energy sources and technologies and has no minimum requirement for renewable energy. In order to truly diversify from coal, the West Virginia Legislature should amend its "renewable energy resources" standard to require that at least twenty percent of its energy portfolio come from actual renewable energy sources by 2025. The legislature must also amend AREPA to exclude many of the most heavily polluting "alternative" energy sources instead of ensuring their continued existence and harm to the state. Because of West Virginia's dwindling coal reserves, the state's wealth of renewable energy resources, and a growing anti-coal movement, the Mountain State should diversify from
coal-based energy resources and establish an appropriate alternative energy portfolio standard that is more heavily geared towards truly promoting renewable energy.

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Published

2011-01-01

Issue

Vol. 6 (2011): Volume 6, Issue 1: Winter 2011

Section

Notes

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