Monday - May 25, 2026
Public Policy Tipoffs Involving West Virginia Newsletter for Thursday April 30, 2026 ( 19 items )  

Ares Acquires Stake in Rover Pipeline from Blackstone Energy Transition Partners to Serve Growing Energy Demand Centers Across North America
NEW YORK, April 29 [Category: BizFinancial Services] -- Blackstone, an investment firm, posted the following news release: * * * Ares Acquires Stake in Rover Pipeline from Blackstone Energy Transition Partners to Serve Growing Energy Demand Centers Across North America * NEW YORK - April 29, 2026 - Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES), a leading global alternative investment manager, announced today that funds led by its Infrastructure Opportunities strategy ("Ares") have acquired a 32.4  more

Attorney General Jeff Jackson Pushes for Changes to Lower Prescription Drug Costs
RALEIGH, North Carolina, April 29 -- North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General Jeff Jackson Pushes for Changes to Lower Prescription Drug Costs Attorney General Jeff Jackson and a bipartisan group of attorneys general are pushing the U.S. Department of Labor to help lower prescription drug costs by requiring more transparency from pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). "People should be able to afford their medications, and they can't   more

Chairman Capito Asks Administrator Zeldin About Trump EPA Wins and Priorities
WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, issued the following news release on April 29, 2026: * * * Chairman Capito Asks Administrator Zeldin About Trump EPA Wins and Priorities Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, led a hearing examining the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed budget for fiscal year 2  more

Chairman Capito Opening Statement at Hearing to Examine Proposed EPA FY2027 Budget
WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, issued the following statement on April 29, 2026: * * * Chairman Capito Opening Statement at Hearing to Examine Proposed EPA FY2027 Budget Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, led a hearing examining the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed budget for fiscal year  more

EPA Announces $14.8 Million to Protect Waterways from Sewage Overflows across the Mid-Atlantic
WASHINGTON, April 29 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: * * * EPA Announces $14.8 Million to Protect Waterways from Sewage Overflows across the Mid-Atlantic * PHILADELPHIA - Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of approximately $80 million through the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program to help communities address stormwater and sewer infrastructure needs. These grants will strengthen syste  more

EPA Announces $80 Million in Funding to Protect Waterways from Sewage Overflows
WASHINGTON, April 29 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: * * * EPA Announces $80 Million in Funding to Protect Waterways from Sewage Overflows * U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of approximately $80 million through the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program to help communities address stormwater and sewer infrastructure needs. These grants will strengthen systems that safely capture and manage sto  more

Independent Women Drives 250+ Public Comments Supporting Independent Contractor Rule as Comment Period Closes
WASHINGTON, April 29 [Category: Political] -- The Independent Women's Forum posted issued the following news release: * * * Independent Women Drives 250+ Public Comments Supporting Independent Contractor Rule as Comment Period Closes As the public comment period closes on the U.S. Department of Labor's proposed independent contractor rule, Independent Women announced today it has driven more than 250 public comments from women in support of flexible work and freelance opportunities. In a for  more

Landmark Exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum Unites U.S. Bicentennial Photography Surveys for the First Time
WASHINGTON, April 30 -- The Smithsonian Institution American Art Museum issued the following news release: * * * Landmark Exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum Unites U.S. Bicentennial Photography Surveys for the First Time "Much Here Is Beautiful: Photography Surveys of the U.S. Bicentennial" Captures a Portrait of the Nation a Half-Century Ago * "Much Here Is Beautiful: Photography Surveys of the U.S. Bicentennial" at the Smithsonian American Art Museum brings together, for th  more

Ohio Democratic Party: "Regional businesses say Iran war, Trump tariffs are increasing prices, hurting the economy"
COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 29 -- The Ohio Democratic Party posted the following news: * * * "Regional businesses say Iran war, Trump tariffs are increasing prices, hurting the economy" Businesses and community leaders in Northeast Ohio are sounding the alarm on the devastating impacts of President Trump's reckless war with Iran and his policies like tariffs that are hurting our economy and making life harder for working families and small businesses. Additionally, in this new survey, nonprofit com  more

R&R Janitorial Services to Pay $1.25M in EEOC National Origin Discrimination Lawsuit
WASHINGTON, April 29 -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the following news release: * * * R&R Janitorial Services to Pay $1.25M in EEOC National Origin Discrimination Lawsuit Resolves suit charging federal contractor with unlawful discrimination based on race and national origin  * R&R Janitorial, Painting, and Building Services, Inc. (R&R), a federal contractor headquartered in Washington providing janitorial services to government agencies, will pay $1,250,000 and prov  more

Sandra Roberson receives 2026 SCICU Excellence in Teaching Award
GREENVILLE, South Carolina, April 29 -- Furman University posted the following news: * * * Sandra Roberson receives 2026 SCICU Excellence in Teaching Award * Furman University's Sandra Roberson is the 2026 South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (SCICU) Excellence in Teaching Award recipient. Each year, SCICU recognizes outstanding professors from each of the 21 institutions the organization represents. Recipients were honored April 21 at an award dinner in Columbia, South Car  more

Senators Justice, Capito Applaud USDA Research Projects Relocating to West Virginia
WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Jim Justice, R-West Virginia, issued the following statement on April 29, 2026: * * * Senators Justice, Capito Applaud USDA Research Projects Relocating to West Virginia Today, Senators Jim Justice and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) released the following statements after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Mission Area reorganization and restructuring, which includes agricultural research investments in We  more

State, Local, and Federal Agencies Coordinate Next Steps at Catalyst Refiners Site in Institute
CHARLESTON, West Virginia, April 30 -- The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection issued the following news on April 29, 2026: * * * State, Local, and Federal Agencies Coordinate Next Steps at Catalyst Refiners Site in Institute State, local, and federal agencies, including the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 3 (EPA), are coordinating on a sampling and removal plan to ensure that remaining materials ins  more

Student Press Law Center: Maryland Districts Comply With 10-Year-Old New Voices Law
ARLINGTON, Virginia, April 30 -- The Student Press Law Center issued the following news: * * * Maryland districts comply with 10-year-old New Voices law As Maryland celebrates 10 years of protecting student journalists from arbitrary censorship, a Student Press Law Center analysis found that most of the state's school districts have student media policies that comply with its New Voices law. The legislation, signed into law on April 26, 2016, provides strong protections for high school and c  more

W.Va. State Treasurer Pack Presents $500 to Winning School of SMART529 Contest in Kanawha County
CHARLESTON, West Virginia, April 30 -- West Virginia State Treasurer Larry Pack issued the following news release on April 29, 2026: * * * Treasurer Pack Presents $500 to Winning School of SMART529 Contest in Kanawha County State Treasurer Larry Pack on Wednesday presented a $500 check to Belle Elementary School in Kanawha County for having one of the 15 regional winners of the SMART529 "When I Grow Up" Statewide Essay Contest. "My Office is thrilled to deliver this money which recognizes sc  more

West Virginia Wesleyan College Announces Jazz Legend Bob Thompson as 2026 Commencement Speaker, Presidential Medal Recipient
BUCKHANNON, West Virginia, April 29 -- West Virginia Wesleyan College posted the following news: * * * West Virginia Wesleyan College Announces Jazz Legend Bob Thompson as 2026 Commencement Speaker, Presidential Medal Recipient * West Virginia Wesleyan College announced that internationally acclaimed jazz artist Bob Thompson will serve as the College's 2026 Commencement speaker and will be awarded one of the institution's highest honors, the President's Medal.  A celebrated figure in Ameri  more

WTAS: Senator Justice's Bipartisan Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act
WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Jim Justice, R-West Virginia, issued the following news release on April 29, 2026: * * * WTAS: Senator Justice's Bipartisan Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act Last week, Senators Jim Justice, John Fetterman (D-PA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act. The Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to modify the definition of food by adding "hot rotisserie chicken."Current statute does n  more

WVDEP Provides Update on Discolored Stream in Mingo County
CHARLESTON, West Virginia, April 30 -- The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection issued the following news on April 29, 2026: * * * WVDEP Provides Update on Discolored Stream in Mingo County The WVDEP continues responding to reports of stream discoloration in Mingo County. Initial findings indicate the discoloration stems from material from an abandoned mine lands area that had accumulated on property owned by Norfolk Southern. The material is primarily iron-related deposits   more

WVDEP Update on Train Derailment in the East River
CHARLESTON, West Virginia, April 30 -- The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection issued the following statement on April 29, 2026: * * * WVDEP Update on Train Derailment in the East River The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) is providing the following statement regarding yesterday's train derailment near the West Virginia-Virginia border in the East River: WVDEP is actively monitoring and coordinating the response to yesterday's train derailment nea  more