News

Article written by Austyn Gaffney and Dane Rhys for The Washington Post
May 19, 2022

On the site of a shuttered and bankrupt coal mine near the headwaters of the Potomac River, the state of West Virginia is building a demonstration plant that researchers say could help spur efforts to clean up thousands of miles of waterways contaminated by coal-mining waste.

U.S. Senate Energy Chairman Joe Manchin kicked off a committee hearing today by saying the United States needs a push to produce the kind of critical minerals that are key elements of modern technology like lithium batteries.

Rare earth elements are a key component of electronics, aerospace, automotive and other products, particularly rechargeable batteries. China is the dominant producer, and the rest of the world is trying to catch up.

Article written by Mike Tony for the Charleston Gazette-Mail
March 8, 2022

The West Virginia Senate has passed without opposition a bill designed to clarify who can profit from the extraction of rare earth elements and critical minerals essential to technology products and national security.

On Thursday, February 17th, the West Virginia Water Research Institute (WVWRI) held its third and final session of the Virtual Seminar Series. Speakers from Friends of the Cheat, West Virginia University, and WVWRI discussed acid mine drainage (AMD) research and remediation projects.

Mark your calendars now! The 2022 West Virginia Mine Drainage Task Force Symposium has officially been scheduled for October 4-5, 2022. Watch out for symposium program to be released in April!

The West Virginia Mine Drainage Task Force was formed in 1978 and assigned to investigate the acid mine drainage (AMD) problem associated with surface mining in central West Virginia. Since then, the Task Force has broadened its scope to include areas outside of West Virginia with many diverse mine drainage issues.

In a nearly unanimous vote, the House of Delegates has passed a bill designed to clarify who can profit from the extraction of rare earth elements and critical minerals essential to technology products and national security.

The House on Monday approved House Bill 4003, which would establish that any party that treats any mine drainage may derive “commercial benefit” from any elements or other byproducts of the treated material.

Article written by Mike Nolting for MetroNews
February 5, 2022

According to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, WVU has kept its status as an R1 institution.

The Legislature is considering bills to promote West Virginia production of the rare earth elements that are essential parts of high-tech devices.

The House Energy and Manufacturing Committee passed two related bills Thursday afternoon. They’ll now be considered by the House Judiciary Committee.