SB 76 West Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Providing exemption from state severance tax for coal sold to coal-fired power plants located in WV

SB 76 would exempt coal sold to coal-fired power plants located within West Virginia from the state's 5% severance tax. This directly affects coal producers who sell thermal coal (used for electricity generation) to in-state power plants, reducing their tax burden on these specific sales. The bill amends existing law to create this exemption, removing the tax that would otherwise apply to coal sold for electricity generation at facilities operating in West Virginia. The change would provide immediate tax savings for coal producers supplying local power plants, without altering other severance tax rates or provisions.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Last action Jan 20, 2026
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What changed between versions

Introduced Version Committee Substitute · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to expand its scope from only coal to include both coal and natural gas, creating a new tax section for natural gas extraction. A new exemption was added for natural gas sold to in-state power plants, mirroring the existing exemption for coal. The bill title and sponsor information were also updated to reflect the new co-sponsorship and the expanded subject matter.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded from exclusively covering coal severance tax to also covering natural gas and oil severance tax.
SCOPE

Added a new section (§11-13A-3a) imposing a severance tax on the extraction of natural gas and oil.

ELIGIBILITY

Created a new exemption for natural gas sold to natural gas-powered electric generating facilities located within West Virginia.

Added 'natural gas-powered' to the list of power plants eligible for the tax exemption on coal.

DEFINITION

Updated the bill title and description to reflect the inclusion of natural gas alongside coal.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
6
Key actions
0
Committee
2
Jan 20, 2026
Committee
To Finance
upper
Jan 20, 2026
Committee
Committee substitute reported, but first to Finance
upper
Jan 14, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
1 primary · 5 co-sponsors

Sponsors