Deregulation a theme of this WV legislative session
Charleston Gazette
Deregulation a theme of this legislative session
by David Gutman, Staff writer
In 2012, William J. Moran, who was in town from Rhode Island, died of carbon monoxide poisoning in a South Charleston hotel because a swimming pool heater was improperly installed. Last year the Legislature passed a law requiring licenses for people who install heating, ventilating and cooling systems.
In 2014, an aboveground storage tank leaked about 10,000 gallons of a coal-cleaning chemical into the Elk River and contaminated the Kanawha Valley’s water system. A few months later, the Legislature passed a law to regulate and inspect aboveground storage tanks.
In 2010, Wilbert “Ray” Starcher was killed in a Greenbrier County coal mine when he was run over by a shuttle car. The driver couldn’t see him because his view was blocked by metal sideboards, which had been added to the car in violation of West Virginia law.
The 2015 Republican-controlled Legislature has attempted to roll back or repeal all of these laws, as deregulation has become a broader theme of the legislative session. The changes to the aboveground storage tank law had overwhelming bipartisan support, and the changes to mine safety had limited Democratic support.
“A cornerstone of the Republican Party is allowing the free market to control, and free businesses and citizens up from unnecessary and burdensome regulations,” said state Republican Party Chairman Conrad Lucas, adding that reasonable people would disagree on what is unnecessary and burdensome. (emphasis added)
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Some of the Legislature’s deregulatory push has been in the cause of enhancing personal freedom, potentially at the expense of public health and safety. ...
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http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150309/GZ01/150309316
