In The News

SANDSTONE — The Conservation Fund and the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) Monday announced the addition of 963 acres to the preserve portion of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve near Sandstone. The added acreage, which is poised to significantly increase the amount of public land available for hunting and outdoor recreation activities while yielding a variety of other public benefits, is in an area commonly known as Irish Mountain. According to a press release from The... Read More

Meadow Bridge — Overlooking the New River in Raleigh County, Irish Mountain was an outdoor playground for years for James Word and his family. Word’s father and one of his uncles went in together to purchase 963 acres of property on the mountain in the 1970s. Growing up, Word and his cousin hunted deer and grouse in the dense forest and fished the plentiful waters. “My parents and an uncle bought the property. They were going to split it up and sell it, but they just never... Read More

Meadow Bridge — Overlooking the New River in Raleigh County, Irish Mountain was an outdoor playground for years for James Word and his family. Word’s father and one of his uncles went in together to purchase 963 acres of property on the mountain in the 1970s. Growing up, Word and his cousin hunted deer and grouse in the dense forest and fished the plentiful waters. “My parents and an uncle bought the property. They were going to split it up and sell it, but they just never... Read More

CAPITO AND CARPER LEAD NEW BIPARTISAN NUCLEAR BILL: A bipartisan group of senators announced a new bill this morning that would facilitate more U.S. nuclear energy diplomacy around the world and seek to cut down on regulatory hurdles at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that slow the licensing of new reactors. The bill, led by Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, Tom Carper, and Sheldon Whitehouse, would establish a joint initiative involving the Commerce Department and Energy... Read More

Appalachia’s ever-present and ever-evolving opioid epidemic has a new cutting agent on the block: xylazine, a sedative medication meant for veterinary use, that is now being mixed into illicit supplies of opioids and fentanyl. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration recently issued an alert warning of a “sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine,” which is also known as “tranq” or “tranq dope.” In January of this... Read More

CHARLESTON, W.Va — Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin told WCHS’s 580 Live Monday morning that planning is still underway for a major infrastructure project that will transform the city. The Charleston Capital Connector Project will convert a 3.5 mile stretch of the Kanawha Boulevard along the riverfront, and better connect Greenbrier Street to the community. Goodwin joined U.S Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito over a year ago to announce the $1.75 million RAISE... Read More

The revised definition of the Waters of the United States rule took effect on March 20. These include all waters which are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide. But some say this new revision has flaws and is not good for the development of farmlands and private lands. "It pulls a whole lot of private land under the jurisdiction of the federal regulator,” West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said. Capito was involved in the vote to overturn WOTUS and said those problems start with... Read More

SANDSTONE, WV (WVNS) — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) joined the National Park Service and The Conservation Fund to announce an expansion of the preserve portion of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. On Monday, April 3, 2023, Senator Capito, with the National Park Service and The Conservation Fund, announced 936 acres of land will be added to the preserve portion of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve near Sandstone, Summers County. The added acres were... Read More

A recent allotment of Congressionally Directed Spending dollars has put the efforts to open up former steel property in Weirton one step closer to reality. Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Democrat U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin announced $1.5 million had been awarded through the CDS process to a planned industrial access road through the Frontier Crossing development. Once complete, the road will provide access from the area of Cove Road and Weir Avenue to Brown’s Island, allowing... Read More

HURRICANE, W.Va. — Rain poured in torrents as a crowd gathered Friday for the much-anticipated ribbon cutting at the new fire station in Hurricane. Though the weather was nasty outside, spirits were sunny and bright inside the new 20,000-square-foot facility. Hurricane Mayor Scott Edwards greeted the large crowd with a brief history of the fire department in Hurricane. He lauded the firefighters’ dedication and self-sacrifice, and praised the Ladies Auxiliary for the care the group... Read More

CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, and member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $11,812,000 in funding for clean water infrastructure projects in West Virginia through this year’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). “Through the EPW Committee, we crafted the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act, which represented the... Read More

BLUEFIELD — When state lawmakers eliminated funding in 2017 for the King Coal Highway Authority and its executive director, some in the region worried that there would be no one to actively promote and facilitate the construction of the long-delayed Interstate 73 corridor in southern West Virginia. Today, as construction on a $58 million contract connecting the King Coal Highway with Airport Road inches closer toward completion, no additional state or federal funding is currently in place... Read More

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is expressing optimism that a federal permitting reform bill may have some impetus, a move that is needed to speed up the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). Capito said Thursday during a virtual press briefing she thinks there is an “appetite” for making reforms and that appetite is “growing every day.” The reason, she said, is that the slow federal permitting process for any energy project, including renewables, is long... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WDTV/WTAP) - West Virginia Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito are backing a bill to take action against the spread of the drug xylazine. The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act aims to place xylazine on the controlled substances list and would require a report to congress on prevalence, risks, and recommendations to best regulate the illicit use of the drug. Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” is a potent sedative that is sometimes mixed with more common... Read More

CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) announced the funding for West Virginia’s water infrastructure was approved. On Friday, March 31, 2023, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and member of the Senate Appropriations Committee Shelley Moore Capito announced $11,812,000 was approved for clean water infrastructure projects in West Virginia. “Through the EPW Committee, we crafted the Drinking Water and Wastewater... 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

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is not slowing down on her efforts to fight the drug addiction crisis, especially the flow of the deadly fentanyl into the nation and the state. A new drug has also been added to the fight, Xylazine, which is a veterinary tranquilizer. Capito introduced three bills this week related to that fight: The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, the STOP Act 2.0, and the PREVENT Fentanyl Act. “Fentanyl continues to have deadly consequences for communities across West... Read More

A recent allotment of Congressionally Directed Spending dollars has put the efforts to open up former steel property in Weirton one step closer to reality. Last week, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin announced $1.5 million had been awarded through the CDS process to a planned industrial access road through the Frontier Crossing development. Once complete, the road will provide access from the area of Cove Road and Weir Avenue to Brown’s Island, allowing industrial... Read More

House Republicans are feeling emboldened after picking off the support of a handful of Democrats in passing their marquee energy package, challenging the Senate to consider their legislation in full — including its contentious oil and gas provisions. Even though four House Democrats supported the bill, Senate Democrats including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have already publicly rejected the overall package. They have made it clear they are only interested in a slice of the... Read More

CHARLESTON — West Virginia’s two U.S. senators joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers to oppose the latest rule from President Joe Biden to regulate streams and wetlands. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., voted Wednesday to repeal a new rule from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s latest definition of “Waters of the United States,” or WOTUS. The resolution to repeal passed 53-43. Capito talked about Wednesday’s vote during a virtual briefing... Read More