Shelley Moore Capito - Ranking member of the Environment and Public Works committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Shelley Moore Capito - Ranking member of the Environment and Public Works committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, participated in a hearing today on “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Proposed Fiscal Year 2025 Budget” with FWS Director Martha Williams.
During the hearing, Senator Capito addressed several key issues related to West Virginia projects, staffing, and permits.
On the prioritization of the Roaring Run Bridge project, which is part of the Corridor H project, Capito highlighted an unexpected requirement for formal consultation by the local field office. She emphasized the urgency of completing this consultation by July to ensure federal funding can be utilized within this year. "Director Williams, I'm just asking if you would commit to making this a priority because if we don't get this done by July it's going to be another year," Capito stated. Director Williams responded affirmatively: "Ranking Member Capito, absolutely. I will make it a priority."
Capito also raised concerns about FWS's current permit backlog, noting that it has been two years since initial meetings with various stakeholders including DEP and DOH. She mentioned potential legal action from the Coal Association due to perceived violations of the 2020 Biological Opinion and questioned how FWS plans to manage consultations on 880 mining permits without a clear strategy. "How do we resolve these challenges? And we still need to I think work on improvement," she asked.
Staffing issues within FWS in West Virginia were another focal point for Capito. She pointed out that despite funding provided by DOH and other associations for additional positions at the local office, these roles remain unfilled. "If the argument is we don't have the money…we don't have the people to do the processing. And you're given the money to do the processing, but you're not hiring the people…" she remarked.
Click here to watch Ranking Member Capito’s questions.
Click here to watch Ranking Member Capito’s opening statement.
# # #
Alerts Sign-up