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📣 Make Some Noise for Clean Drinking Water! 📣

Please MAKE SOME NOISE to SUPPORT CLEAN DRINKING WATER FOR THE SOUTHERN COALFIELDS (HB 5525, HB 5585 & HB 5642) .

Background:

✳️ LWVWV supports updated water quality standards to protect human health and wildlife habitats, and support measures to expand access to water service that meets these standards.

✳️ A number of Public Service Districts in West Virginia’s southern coalfields have failing infrastructure and many communities there lack access to clean drinking water.

✳️ Three bills proposed in the House of Delegates would begin to address long-standing issues with water infrastructure in the southern coalfields and provide residents with access to clean drinking water.

SUMMARY of PROPOSED CLEAN WATER BILLS:

✳️ HB 5525 https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=5525&year=2026&sessiontype=RS would establish the Southern West Virginia Clean Water Fund Act of 2026 with an initial $10 million investment to enhance water quality standards, test for and remove various contaminants, and replace lead service lines within all public water systems in Boone, Fayette, Greenbrier, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne, and Wyoming Counties.

✳️ HB 5642 https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=4642&year=2026&sessiontype=RS would provide an additional $10 million to help with drinking water emergencies in the southern coalfields (on top of the $10 million included in HB 5525), bringing the grand total of potential relief up to $20 million.

✳️ HB 5585 https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=5585&year=2026&sessiontype=RS, which would make public health emergencies eligible for funding from the Rainy Day Fund. This bill designates struggling Public Service Districts and water boards as public health emergencies and therefore eligible for appropriations from the Fund. HB 5585 has been identified by clean water advocates as a funding mechanism for HB 5525 and HB 4642, as well as for additional funding to address chronic drinking water issues in southern West Virginia.

These bills provide crucial emergency funding to bring immediate help to coalfield communities in need of clean drinking water.

🚨Status: *All three bills are pending in the House Energy & Public Works Committee and time is running out.* March 1 is the deadline for bills to be out of committees in the house of origin to ensure three full days for readings on the floor. These bills must pass the House no later than March 4 to have a chance of making it to the Governor’s desk.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

🚨*Contact your Delegate and tell them to SUPPORT HB 5525, HB 5585, and HB 4642. No West Virginian should have to live without clean water.*

Find your Delegate here: https://fastdemocracy.com/find-your-legislators/

🚨*Contact the House Energy & Public Works Committee to get these bills on an agenda. * Email list:

bill.anderson@wvhouse.gov, jordan.bridges@wvhouse.gov, jeff.campbell@wvhouse.gov, david.cannon@wvhouse.gov, kathie.crouse@wvhouse.gov, henry.dillon@wvhouse.gov, jeff.eldridge@wvhouse.gov, bob.fehrenbacher@wvhouse.gov, david.green@wvhouse.gov, evan.hansen@wvhouse.gov, rick.hillenbrand@wvhouse.gov, josh.holstein@wvhouse.gov, gary.howell@wvhouse.gov, daniel.linville@wvhouse.gov, patrick.lucas@wvhouse.gov, erica.moore@wvhouse.gov, happyjoe.parsons@wvhouse.gov, clay.riley@wvhouse.gov, charles.sheedy@wvhouse.gov, george.street@wvhouse.gov, kayla.young@wvhouse.gov, mark.zatezalo@wvhouse.gov