W.Va. House passes "Chemical Spill" bill

WSAZ 3 News Channel is reporting that the so-called "chemical spill" bill, more formally known as the Water Protection Act, has been passed, in a 95-0 vote, by the West Virginia House of Delegates. The W.Va. House and Senate will need to work out a compromised by the end of the session, which occurs this Saturday.

This year's legislative session began on Jan. 8th.  The next day 10,000 gallons of the chemical MCHM spilled from the storage facility Freedom Industries into the Elk River, just upstream of the West Virginia American Water Company’s water treatment plan. The leak contaminated water for 300,000 residents in nine counties.

Click "read more" for the rest of the story...

Denver's 'Country Roads' being pushed as official state song (again)

John Denver (1973)

A Charleston Daily Mail article reports  that Del. Mary Geartheart (R, Mercer Co.) has introduced a resolution that would make John Denver's song, "Take Me Home, Country Roads", an official state song.  The resolution has passed in the House and is currently before the Senate Government Organization for consideration.

This resolution, House Concurrent Resolution No. 40 (HCR 40), can be read in its entirety on West Virginia Legislature's website.

"Take Me Home, Country Roads", also known as simply "Country Roads", was written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert, and John Denver in 1970, and the song was first recorded by Denver for his 1971 album Poems, Prays, and Promises.

Click "read more" to view a YouTube video of "Country Roads".

Report: W.Va. the most miserable U.S. state in 2013

Commenting on a Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index report released in February, a Washington Post article noted that West Virginia ranked dead last in such categories as "life evaluation", "emotional health", "physical health", and "healthy behaviors".  Oddly enough, the state ranked 14th in "work environment".

A few days later, a Washington Post blog article noted that West Virginia has received a similar bad ranking on the Index since it was first issued, in 2008.

On a related and equally troubling topic: Time magazine's 2013 report named West Virginia as the nation's "most neurotic state". Click "read more" for more about that, below the page-break.

W.Va. grassroots groups assist during state's water crisis

Elk River at Charleson, WV

An article published Feb. 27th at WagingNonViolence.org notes that just hours after 10,000 gallons of MCHM spilled in the Elk River, just upstream of a municipal water system that serves nine counties, the grassroots organization WV Clean Water Hub began organizing water deliveries to those in need of water.

Soon, other West Virginia grassroots groups joined the relief effect, including Aurora Lights, Coal River Mountain Watch, Keeping of the Mountains Foundation, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, and RAMPS.  

Now, about several weeks after the spill occurred, some residents are complaining that the water still has a strange odor, and some worry about chemical residues and long term effects of exposure to MCHM, according to a WaterOnline.com article.

In a Charleston Gazette article published in January, entitled What is "Crude MCHM"? Few know., the director of West Virginia Poison Center was quoted as saying "There's not much known about this chemical".  The article also notes that current Federal and state laws "set limits and mandate samples for only certain chemicals" and MCHM isn't one of them.