by John Williams
Since 2016, I have had the privilege of representing Monongalia County in the West Virginia House of Delegates. My time in the House has educated me on a wide breadth of both controversial and noncontroversial issues. However, the most difficult and complicated issue I have worked on is finding a solution to West Virginia’s flood of young people leaving the state and our lack of growing opportunities. Other legislators and I are constantly searching for ways to bring people and jobs back to West Virginia.
I have spent tremendous time poring over documents and attending various meetings, seeking solutions to our economic woes. Typically, my meetings are with local and state officials who are working to solve many of the same problems we all face, but rarely do we see national figures who grasp the issues West Virginians face. For many people outside of West Virginia, opportunities come from a multitude of sources and industries. However, as long as I can remember (and long before that even), our state has relied heavily on our natural resources and energy exports to support our communities and people.
Our reliance on natural resources and energy exports is why I was so pleased with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s ability to bring the U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to my hometown of Morgantown. Like many people, I sometimes feel like politicians in Washington, D.C., do not understand the challenges we face and don’t provide the solutions needed to help our state flourish. But during Sec. Granholm’s visit, Sen. Manchin made it a priority to organize a meeting between the energy secretary and a bipartisan group of state legislators to focus on the energy issues facing West Virginia.
This meeting was held with little fanfare — no media or television cameras. Instead, we had a frank and direct conversation with the woman tasked with managing the United States’ approach to the energy sector in order to convey to the secretary what West Virginia needs to succeed.
At the start of the meeting, I was skeptical and feared that the former governor of Michigan and now cabinet-level secretary would not understand the concerns and needs of the Mountain State. But Sec. Granholm was direct and to the point.
She began with a basic statement, “I get it,” and continued to describe her experience as governor of Michigan, a state which has historically relied on combustion engines and the oil industry to provide good paying jobs and provide for the state’s families.
Sec. Granholm told us how her state was losing hundreds of jobs weekly due to the Automotive Crisis of 2008, coinciding with the Great Recession. She clearly understood what we here in West Virginia are dealing with as we strive to create new and diverse opportunities outside of our historical economic drivers, while also working hard to protect the jobs and opportunities we have relied on in the energy sector for so long.
Sen. Manchin hustled Sec. Granholm all over Monongalia County with stops at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, West Virginia University Energy Institute and even going underground to see coal being mined in Harrison County.
During Sec. Granholm’s visit to Morgantown, Sen. Manchin made sure she saw new uses for our coal production, heard from innovative market participants in the natural gas industry and saw our vast opportunities for renewable energy. All of these visits were part of Sen. Manchin’s long-stated goal of making West Virginia part of the “All of the Above” energy solutions for the United States.
While our work in West Virginia to create new opportunities and protect our existing jobs can sometimes seem futile, events like Sen. Manchin’s with Sec. Granholm should give all West Virginians confidence in our state’s future. I appreciate Sen. Manchin bringing the secretary to Morgantown, thereby thrusting our growth opportunities into the national spotlight.
John Williams is a member of the West Virginia House of the Delegates, representing the 51st District.
