SB 678 West Virginia Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Establishing Coal Based Affordable Electricity and Economic Growth Act

SB 678, the "Affordable Electricity and Economic Growth Act of 2025," directs West Virginia's Department of Economic Development to identify suitable sites for coal-fired electricity generation and coke production facilities. The bill aims to streamline state regulations and reduce delays for projects using West Virginia coal, specifically targeting sites near coal deposits, transmission infrastructure, and steel manufacturing facilities. It requires agencies to review and simplify permitting processes to support coal-based electricity and steel production, which the bill states will boost economic development and stabilize electricity prices. The legislation directly affects coal producers, steel manufacturers, and local communities near proposed facilities.

Issues: ✗ Energy ✗ Environment

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Mar 4, 2025 Last action Mar 18, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Committee Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended from its original introduced version to a committee substitute version, incorporating changes made during legislative review. The substantive policy content of the Affordable Electricity and Economic Growth Act of 2025 remains largely intact, though some text was cleaned up and corrected. The core purpose of facilitating coke production and steelmaking through coal-fired electricity generation in West Virginia was preserved.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on establishing the Affordable Electricity and Economic Growth Act of 2025 to facilitate coke production and steelmaking in West Virginia, with no fundamental changes to its applicability or target industries.

TEXT

Removed website navigation elements, headers, and footer content that were accidentally included in the introduced version text, resulting in a cleaner legislative document.

Corrected minor text inconsistencies and formatting issues throughout the bill, such as removing duplicate words and fixing section numbering.

REQUIREMENT

Added specific geographic distribution requirements for site identification, mandating that locations be selected from both north and south of Interstate 64 to ensure regional balance.

TIMELINE

Established specific deadlines for the Department of Economic Development to submit reports and designate sites, with the first preliminary report due by December 31, 2025.

ENFORCEMENT

Added consequences for noncompliance, including an automatic 25 percent reduction in spending authority for the Department of Economic Development if requirements are not met.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 18, 2025

Committee

To Finance

upper

Mar 18, 2025

Upper · Passed

Committee substitute reported, but first to Finance

upper

Mar 4, 2025

Introduced

Introduced in Senate

upper

1 primary · 7 co-sponsors