§22-26-1. Short Title; Legislative Findings
(a) Short title. — This article may be known and cited as the Water Resources Protection and Management Act. (b) Legislative findings. — (1) The West Virginia Legislature finds that it is the public policy of the State of West Virginia to protect and conserve the water resources for the state and to provide for […]
§22-26-2. Definitions
For purposes of this article: (1) "Baseline average" means the average amount of water withdrawn by a large-quantity user over a representative historical time period as defined by the secretary.
§22-26-3. Waters Claimed by State; Water Resources Protection Survey; Registration Requirements; Agency Cooperation; Information Gathering
(a) The waters of the State of West Virginia are claimed as valuable public natural resources held by the state for the use and benefit of its citizens. The state shall manage and protect its waters effectively for present and future use and enjoyment and for the protection of the environment. Therefore, it is necessary […]
§22-26-4. Confidentiality
(a) Information required to be submitted by a person as part of the water withdrawal survey and registration that may be a trade secret, contain protected information relating to homeland security or be subject to another exemption provided by the state freedom of information act may be deemed confidential. Each such document shall be identified […]
§22-26-5. Joint Legislative Oversight Commission on State Water Resources
(a) The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates shall each designate five members of their respective houses, at least one of whom shall be a member of the minority party, to serve on a joint legislative oversight commission charged with immediate and ongoing oversight of the water resources survey, […]
§22-26-6. Mandatory Survey and Registration Compliance
(a) The water resources survey and subsequent registry will provide critical information for protection of the state's water resources and, thus, mandatory compliance with the survey and registry is necessary. (b) All large-quantity users who withdraw water from a West Virginia water resource shall complete the survey and register use with the department. Any person […]
§22-25-8. Withdrawal, Enforcement and Termination From the Program
(a) Any participant may elect to withdraw from participation in the program at any time upon written notice to the secretary. (b) The secretary shall terminate the participation of any participant in the program if a serious violation is discovered or occurs and the violation is not properly disclosed in accordance with the law or […]
§22-24-5. Small Business Environmental Revolving Loan Account
(a) The small business environmental revolving loan account is hereby continued in the authority and shall be made available for environmental loans defined by this article for any type of qualifying environmental project. Loans may be issued only during the five-year period commencing on the effective date of this article unless the time period is […]
§22-24-6. Loan Processing
The authority shall: (a) Process small business environmental loan applications and assure that a copy is forwarded to the director for eligibility review; (b) confirm that the director has certified the environmental acceptability of the project; (c) verify the borrower's eligibility as provided by section two of this article; (d) evaluate the borrower's financial stability, […]
§22-25-1. Legislative Findings
The Legislature finds that: (1) Regulated and nonregulated entities that demonstrate a commitment to the environment by going beyond compliance with environmental laws and rules positively impact the quality of life for all citizens of the state by improving the economy and the environment by increasing consumer and public confidence, boosting management and employee morale, […]