07-05-2025
Gov. Morrisey speaks on issues affecting southern West Virginia
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) – Governor Patrick Morrisey recently hit the 100 day mark as the state's top elected official.
On Monday, May 5, 2025, he came to Beckley to discuss what he has done, and what he plans to do, for folks in the southern part of the state.
About a month after his inauguration, Morrisey was thrown into the deep end as southern West Virginia was rocked by flooding that devastated communities across multiple counties.
The Governor said he is proud of the response his team put together in the immediate aftermath, but the work is far from over.
'We know that there are opportunities for risk mitigation into the future. I'm hopeful that a lot of the localities are going to take advantage of that, because when you get the Federal approval for disaster relief, it's not just the individual and public assistance. You might have the ability to mitigate and get grant money for the future so that you can erect barriers and walls and things that might keep the water out a little bit more,' the Governor told 59News.
Morrisey said he feels his office's response to the flooding was swift and effective.
He reported that more than 17 tons of debris have been cleared out of the flood-affected areas.
However, for folks in hard-hit areas – the recovery effort is far from over.
Many people in southern West Virginia remain in flood-damaged homes, and lots of areas are left without clean drinking water after the floods damaged underground pipes.
The Governor told 59News it is important to him to invest in the economy of southern West Virginia, in particular. One of the ways he plans to do that is with the Microgrids Bill, which aims to bring data centers here to the Mountain State.
'[The Microgrids Bill] is going to be able to help data centers move in. Speed to build? Number one. Check. Reliable energy resources? Check. The most favorable energy environment? Check, and a workforce that is ready to go to work on day one. So this is going to be very good for southern West Virginia and the entire state,' said Morrisey.
The Governor said he plans to address the state's declining population issue and attract more workers to the state by creating jobs in these data centers – an initiative that he also believes will be beneficial in decreasing the rates West Virginians pay for power, which studies show are the highest in the nation.
'We need more people to come so that spreads it out, that's first and foremost. Second, that's more customers for the power companies and that should lead to lower prices overall,' said the Governor.
Morrisey added that he looks at every bill related to manufacturing to make sure that customers in West Virginia are not the ones who are left paying the price for the state's investments.
Earlier this year, a study on water quality violations found that Wyoming County's public water utility had the highest number of violations in a single water system in the entire country.
Mercer County was just behind Wyoming County on the list – with the third most water quality violations in the country.
Governor Morrisey was asked about why the state legislature did not address the issue of unsafe drinking water in the southern part of the state during the recent legislative session.
'I think it's important that we always continue to have resources for water infrastructure,' said Morrisey. 'I know some of the money got deviated in the past administrations for other purposes. So I think there are other opportunities that will be coming up. We want to make sure we are addressing the needs of the citizens so I am definitely looking at that.'
The Governor added that the budget was extremely tight this year because his administration inherited what he called a 'financial mess' from his predecessor Jim Justice. However Morrisey did not rule out addressing the water quality concerns in the future.
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