The State House

Charleston, West Virginia

January 12, 2011

Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Board of Public Works, Justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals, Members of the State School Board of Education, Members of the Legislature, Distinguished Guests, and My Fellow West Virginians.

It is my honor to join you here tonight during these historic times and in this historic setting. Although we may find ourselves in unique circumstances at this juncture, one principle remains constant - we all have an obligation to do the work of the people of our Great State. We must set aside our personal and political agendas and put West Virginia first. We have challenges to meet, opportunities to create, and a future with great potential.

Join me in making this Legislative Session one to remember for the positive things we achieved, and how we all came together for the betterment of our State.

Heading back to work this week, Americans were greeted not only by a new year but also by a whole slew of new laws -- 31,000 of them at the state level -- covering everything from guns to 100-watt light bulbs to, of course, "health care." As usual, most of these laws tell us what we can't do: texting while driving (duh), cyberbullying and smoking in bars.

Though the Environmental Protection Agency declined to specifically comment on legislation proposed to shift more power into the hands of state officials, a spokesperson did provide further background on current permitting procedures.

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin Thursday proposed the creation of a lieutenant governor. The purpose of the position is to address the issues created with the election of former Governor Joe Manchin to the U.S. Senate this past November.

The post would require a constitutional amendment and is part of Tomblin's proposal to solve a problem with the laws determining gubernatorial succession.

The governor made the proposal during a press conference Thursday afternoon in Charleston. Tomblin said he is putting together a panel to craft a proposal to go before the Legislature during the upcoming session.

Tomblin said he has three key goals in asking for the position of Lt. Governor to be created. First, he wants to clarify the state’s constitutional succession for the post of governor and to do so at as little cost to the taxpayer as possible. He also wants the position to have real constitutional authority, not simply a figurehead who only receives authority when the governor’s office must be unexpectedly filled.

According to the Energy Information Agency (EIA), West Virginia 2010 production (thru week ending 12/25) is less than 1% behind last years’ total.  Northern WV is up by about 5% while southern WV is down by 3%.  Metallurgical exports for this year, through October, were up by more than 60% compared to 2009 (47.1m tons v. 29.3m tons), while steam coal exports were running 6.5% ahead of last year (19.9m tons v. 18.7m tons) for the same period.  2010 imports are down by nearly 14% (16.3m tons v. 18.9m tons).