Manchin says climate change must be on “front burner” — but is it even on his stovetop? April Keating and Eric Engle, Gas Committee co-Chairs

Senator Joe Manchin III, senior senator from West Virginia, now finds himself as the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. According to the Charleston Gazette-Mail, the senator had this to say when leaving the Independent Oil and Gas Association Winter Meeting in Charleston: “We’re going to surprise a lot of people, because climate change has to be on the front burner. Everything we do has to be done with climate change in consideration.” While this is certainly refreshing to hear, talk is cheap. What will the senator actually do to back this up? That’s a tough question to answer. The senator has passionately backed oil and gas development in our state and throughout Appalachia, including pipelines, ethane cracker plants, and an Appalachian Storage Hub that will store liquid natural gas (LNG), the feedstock for plastic, underground in old salt caverns between WV and OH, making us the new “cancer alley.” He backs extensive petrochemicals development throughout Appalachia in a world drowning in plastic. According to the Huffington Post, “By 2030, the U.S. is on track to produce 60 percent of the world’s new oil and gas supply, an expansion at least four times larger than in any other country. By 2050, the country’s newly tapped reserves are projected to spew 120 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. That would make it nearly impossible to keep global warming within the 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial averages, beyond which United Nations scientists forecast climate change to be catastrophic, with upward of $54 trillion in damages.” Carbon dioxide is not even the most worrisome greenhouse gas when it comes to oil and gas development. Natural gas consists primarily of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 86 times more efficient at trapping heat over a 20-year period than CO2. Methane is released in large quantities at all stages of oil and gas development, from extraction to shipping to storage to use. Gas extraction is toxic from cradle to grave. We need an immediate phase out of all fossil fuels. Will Sen. Manchin support this? Well, there’s one concrete measure he can support for starters. The Energy Innovation & Carbon Dividend Act (HR 763) has been reintroduced this session in the U.S. House, and no doubt will be introduced in the Senate as well. This is bipartisan legislation that places an increasing price on carbon at the source but refunds the costs of the carbon tax 100 percent to American households in the form of a dividend to help lower- and middle-income Americans afford the price increases. The legislation is expected to reduce emissions by 40 percent in the first 12 years, and 90 percent by 2050. Senator Manchin should put his full support as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee behind the Energy Innovation & Carbon Dividend Act. He could even be the senator who reintroduces it with bipartisan support in the Senate. There are also legislative initiatives at the state level that Sen. Manchin could throw his support behind. One is The Modern Jobs (MOJO) Act (HB 2589) introduced by Del. Evan Hansen, and the other is SB 409, a bill permitting third-party ownership of renewable and alternative generating facilities, being advocated for by the West Virginians for Energy Freedom coalition (wv4ef.org). Our state’s senior senator can make the difference he claims he wants to make, and surprise us all, but it’s going to take more than words. Call or write Sen. Manchin today and insist that he take tangible steps toward preserving our future and protecting the citizens of West Virginia, the U.S., and the world!

It’s time for West Virginia to focus on how to grow our economy and encourage entrepreneurship with free markets, sensible regulations and fair competition. Renewable energy stands to benefit from such policy changes.

Distributed renewable energy resources like solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal and biomass offer increasingly affordable alternatives to the outdated model of centralized utility monopolies. More West Virginia families, businesses, communities and institutions could benefit from these affordable energy options — if our elected officials create a policy environment that encourages choice, competition and diversification within our evolving energy system.

Such a policy environment will benefit our state’s economy by attracting large employers and investments, encouraging entrepreneurship, expanding our state and local tax bases and creating good new jobs in rapidly growing economic sectors. We know this to be true because we have worked together to grow southern West Virginia’s first ever solar installation company: Solar Holler. Our mission is to make solar the most affordable choice for our neighbors across Appalachia. Since 2013, Solar Holler has created 30 new full-time jobs and attracted millions of dollars in new investment to our state. Renewable energy is a growing market with real job creation. Now, our state’s regulations and bureaucratic barriers need to catch up with innovations driven by private markets so the renewable energy industry can realize its full potential.

Removing barriers to renewable energy developments is important for consumers, too. Electricity rate hikes are a growing concern for West Virginia’s businesses, families and communities. Once among the lowest in the country, Appalachia’s electricity rates have increased at a faster rate than any other region in the nation over the past 10 years. At the same time, our energy system is undergoing rapid changes thanks to breathtaking technological breakthroughs and competitive market forces.

Allowing third-party financing for renewable and alternative energy resources is one tangible step our elected officials can take to make West Virginia a more competitive and attractive place to live and do business. Third-party financing models such as power purchase agreements are common and powerful ways to finance renewable energy projects. This type of contract allows a private developer to install, own and operate a distributed energy system on a host customer’s property. The customer purchases the system’s electric output to get reliable power while protecting themselves from the ever-increasing prices utilities charge.

Legal in at least 26 states, including Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio, power purchase agreements are widely used by commercial businesses and tax-exempt institutions such as schools, churches and municipalities. Crucially for nonprofits and local governments, power purchase agreements allow a tax-paying private developer to use the 30 percent federal energy investment tax credit and pass along those savings to the customer in the form of lowered energy costs.

Yet, when Solar Holler attempted to do the first power purchase agreement in our state — with our congregation at Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church — we were shut down by the West Virginia Public Service Commission, which argued that only the incumbent utilities should be allowed to sell power to the church, or anywhere in their service territories. It was a blatant stifling of competition. If we want to maintain our legacy of powering America, we need free and fair competition.

Legalizing third-party financing for distributed energy resources will help consumers protect themselves against future rate hikes. It will create good new local jobs, encourage entrepreneurship and investment, and send a clear signal to large employers and investors that West Virginia is an amazing place to live and build a business. That’s why we joined West Virginians for Energy Freedom, a coalition of our neighbors, organizations in our community, local businesses and officials who believe West Virginians should have the right to take control of where our energy comes from. Visit wv4ef.org to find out more and join the fight for energy freedom in West Virginia.

Dan Conant is founder and CEO of Solar Holler. Brandon Dennison is founder and CEO of Coalfield Development.