W.Va. Chamber Hosts 2015 Environmental Conference

May 19, 2015

Charleston, W.Va. – The W.Va. Chamber of Commerce is holding its annual Environmental Conference at the Charleston Town Center Marriott today. This annual event provides attendees the most up-to-date information on regulatory and environmental issues affecting businesses throughout West Virginia.

West Virginia Chamber President Steve Roberts stated, “This year’s agenda is packed with speakers who are the leading professionals in their field. The knowledge in this room on environmental and regulatory matters makes this the premier conference of its kind in West Virginia.”

Topics being discussed at today’s conference include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) definition of solid waste, current experiences on permitting, a status report on the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, protection of water sources, the latest science and analysis on Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the recently-revised Above Ground Storage Tank Act, the reliability of the electric grid and the politics surrounding clean power plants. The speakers addressing these topics represent the views of both governmental agencies charged with enforcing these regulations and the members of the regulated community.

According to Roberts, “With the rapidly-changing rules coming out of the U.S. EPA, there has been a great deal of anxiety amongst the employer community, especially since many of these rules are being proposed without clear legislative authority. The employer community understands the need to protect the environment, but it must be done in a manner that is responsible and does not go out of its way to hinder economic development and job creation. Roberts continued, “This conference will help address some of these concerns and advise employers on how best to proceed while legal challenges work their way through the courts.”