CHARLESTON — State Senator and U.S. Senate candidate Tom Willis slammed U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito on Monday, calling federal coal funding in West Virginia “a fraction of what’s actually needed” to sustain the state’s coal industry.
The criticism comes in response to a $175 million federal investment announced earlier this month to modernize coal-fired power plants across four states, including upgrades at West Virginia’s Mountaineer, John E. Amos, and Fort Martin plants. Willis argued the funding falls far short of the hundreds of millions of dollars required to keep aging coal facilities operational.
“It makes for a good publicity stunt, but it doesn’t fundamentally change the economics facing our coal-fired power plants,” Willis told Mountaineer Journal. “This is a significant underperformance from our current U.S. Senator, who gave over $60 billion to Biden’s ‘green new deal’ projects but couldn’t even secure 1% of the same level of investment for our state’s most vital industry.”
The federal initiative, part of a $525 million effort to upgrade coal plants in rural and remote areas, will be split among projects in West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Kentucky. Requests for funding topped $1.1 billion, highlighting a wide gap between what utilities sought and what was awarded.
State energy analysts say retrofits and environmental upgrades can cost hundreds of millions per plant, meaning even West Virginia’s share, likely less than $79 million as reported by Mountaineer Journal, will cover only a small portion of needed improvements.
In a statement to WV StateWire, Willis said the Biden administration’s focus on “green energy” has already caused significant economic damage in West Virginia.
“Federal programs have steered billions away from coal, costing jobs and tax revenue,” Willis told WV Statewire. “If we want to preserve our communities and our energy independence, we need leadership that actually prioritizes West Virginia, not political optics.”
The senator also called for a long-term strategy to stabilize coal-fired generation and protect the workforce, noting that short-term grants are insufficient to address the industry’s economic challenges.
Capito, in contrast, praised the DOE funding as a boost for local jobs and coal production, highlighting high-wage positions in mining and plant operations. Willis’ remarks position him as a vocal critic of her approach and an advocate for more aggressive investment in West Virginia’s coal economy.
