Section 5B-2A-5 - Powers and dutiesThe office has and may exercise the following duties, powers, and responsibilities:
(1) To establish a procedure for determining the assets that could be developed in and maintained by the community to foster its long-term viability as provided in §5B-2A-8 of this code and to administer the procedure so established;(2) To establish a procedure for determining the land and infrastructure needs in the general area of the surface mining operations as provided in §5B-2A-9 of this code and to administer the procedure so established;(3) To establish a procedure to develop action reports and quarterly updates as provided in §5B-2A-10 of this code and to administer the procedure so established;(4) To determine the need for meetings to be held among the various interested parties in the communities impacted by surface mining operations and, when appropriate, to facilitate the meetings;(5) To establish a procedure to assist property owners in the sale of their property as provided in §5B-2A-11 of this code and to administer the procedure so established;(6) In conjunction with the department, to maintain and operate a system to receive and address questions, concerns, and complaints relating to surface mining;(7) To coordinate the expenditure of grants issued by the United States Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration for coalfield economic development or coalfield revitalization projects;(8) To identify coal assets, including, but not limited to, coal mine operations, coal-fired electric utilities, and coal-based manufacturing or steelmaking facilities, within West Virginia or in states that provide markets for, and consume, West Virginia steam or metallurgical coal and offer assistance and to sustain, protect, and expand their continued operation and reliance on West Virginia coal;(9) On its own initiative or at the request of a community or a mining operation, offer assistance to facilitate the development of economic or community assets. Such assistance may include the preparation of a master land use plan pursuant to the provisions of §5B-2A-9 of this code;(10) To develop an educational program and policy materials in support of West Virginia's coal industry, to be incorporated into a program designed to educate the public on the economic and societal benefits provided by the coal industry, including the provision of reliable baseload electric generation by coal-fired power plants; and(11) To coordinate a program of recruitment and training of industrial workers in conjunction with the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training and Workforce West Virginia to respond to West Virginia's growing manpower needs generally and coal mining particularly. The state-of-art training facility in Julian (Boone County) will serve as host to the "West Virginia Mine Safety and Training Academy" to attract, train new and experience miners and other industrial workers.Amended by 2023 Acts, ch. 122 (HB 3303), eff. 6/9/2023.Amended by 2019 Acts, ch. 170 (SB 635), eff. 3/9/2019.