Charleston Leader

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 titled, “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Proposed Fiscal Year 2025 Budget” with FWS Director Martha Williams.

During the hearing, Capito addressed several issues pertinent to West Virginia, including the prioritization of the Roaring Run Bridge project, permit backlogs, and staffing challenges within the FWS.

Regarding the Roaring Run Bridge project, Capito highlighted an unexpected requirement for formal consultation by a field office in West Virginia. She emphasized the urgency of completing this consultation by July to ensure federal funding remains available for the project. "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. In response, Director Williams committed to prioritizing the project: "Ranking Member Capito, absolutely. I will make it a priority."

Capito also raised concerns about permit backlogs affecting various sectors in West Virginia. She mentioned ongoing consultations on 880 mining permits and highlighted inefficiencies experienced by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Highways (DOH). "We are restarting consultation on 880 mining permits with seemingly no plan to handle the workload," she noted.

Staffing issues within FWS offices in West Virginia were another point of discussion. Capito pointed out that despite funding provided by local associations for additional positions, these roles remain unfilled. "So, 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.

The hearing underscored ongoing challenges and sought commitments from FWS leadership to address these critical issues impacting infrastructure projects and environmental management in West Virginia.