Published: July 01, 2009 01:45 am      

Energy plan among new laws

CHARLESTON — As Congress continues to debate cap-and-trade, the clock will start ticking Wednesday on a measure aimed at energy and the environment in West Virginia.

Gov. Joe Manchin’s proposal to boost alternative and renewable energy sources is among at least 20 legislative measures passed this year that become law July 1.

The plan sets 2025 as the deadline for tapping such sources as solar, wind, biomass and synthetic fuel for at least 25 percent of the electricity sold in the Mountain State.

But with 96 percent of West Virginia’s power now derived from coal, the new law includes gasified, liquefied and waste forms of that fossil fuel under the alternative heading. That category also embraces natural gas, which is also found throughout the state but now accounts for less than 1 percent of the power it produces.

The measure shows West Virginians are “continuing our march toward energy independence, while taking steps to better protect our environment,” Manchin spokesman Matt Turner said.

The legislation had its critics, mostly minority Republicans in the House who questioned the need and the focus on non-coal sources. Some lawmakers had also sought to include nuclear energy in the mix, without success.

Another new law will change West Virginia’s PROMISE college scholarship. Grappling with the successful program’s explosive growth, lawmakers set a funding “floor” for the merit-based award at $4,750 annually.

PROMISE has covered tuition and fees at any of the state’s public colleges and universities, or an equivalent amount at its private institutions, for up to four years. Around 9,300 West Virginians now rely on PROMISE to attend college, and the program’s resulting price tag has surged from $10.2 million in 2002 to $42.3 million this year.

The legislation allows for larger future awards if program funding increases, while slightly increasing its share of lottery revenues. Students who land the scholarship by the end of this year are exempt from the new limit.

Several of the July 1 measures emerged from the public schools section of Manchin’s 2009 agenda. One offers to help counties with after-school and summer programs aimed at third and eighth graders unable to meet critical skills standards. Another will exempt schools from state policies and rules when they win approval to become “innovation zones” designed to boost student achievement.

To lure computer server farms and related high-tech employers, West Virginia will begin offering such businesses breaks on property and consumer sales taxes. Another tax-related change arriving Wednesday offers a personal income tax credit worth up to $2,000 for those who install a solar energy system on their homes.