By CHARLES OWENS
BLUEFIELD — When it comes to transportation and technology. U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., is bullish about the future of southern West Virginia.
Rahall, chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources and vice chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said area highway projects — including the Coalfields Expressway and the King Coal Highway — will be considered for renewed federal funds in 2009 following the conclusion of the six-year funding cycle for the Highway Trust Fund.
“Let me just say I will continue to build upon what I term the three T’s — transportation, tourism and technology as a economic foundation upon which we will continue to push for jobs, jobs and more jobs in southern West Virginia,” Rahall, who is currently serving his 16th term in the U.S. House of Representatives, told members of the Daily Telegraph’s editorial board last week. “We had a fourth T that Sen. (Robert C.) Byrd added — which is teamwork. That is so crucial. So we’ve made progress in southern West Virginia and remain bullish on our future.”
Rahall said the current federal aid to highways legislation will expire in September 2009. That means local highway projects will be reconsidered for funding this year.
Rahall said more than $33 million has been awarded to the King Coal Highway, and more than $70 million has been awarded to the Coalfields Expressway, in recent years. In addition to the six-year funding cycle through the Highway Trust Fund, Rahall said Byrd also has access to an annual pot of federal highway transportation funds as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“These are specific earmarks which the state has to match with 20 percent,” Rahall said. “I want to stress that specifically tagging these moneys like I do will not get the job done by itself. We probably have the most rugged terrain in the nation. We’ve done a good job for a small state such as West Virginia for these specific allocations. But we need the full participation of the state to go beyond their federal match of 20 percent.”
Rahall said Gov. Joe Manchin has been asked to consider allocating funds from the state’s discretionary pot of transportation dollars toward projects such as the King Coal Highway and the Coalfields Expressway.
“I have discussed it with the governor,” Rahall said. “I told the governor as economic studies we receive are being done we have more going for us in the southern part of the state now that was not factored into those original economic feasibility studies.”
Rahall said projects such as the multi-purpose equestrian park in Mercer County, and the ongoing campaign to restore commercial air-service at the Mercer County Airport, will mandate the expedition of construction on the King Coal Highway in Bluefield. Rahall said the ongoing construction of the federal prison project in Welch also will mandate the need to expedite construction on the interchange of the King Coal Highway and the Coalfields Expressway at the Indian Ridge Industrial Park in McDowell County.
Rahall said the creation of a toll road to help expedite construction of the King Coal Highway in southern West Virginia is probably not the correct answer.
“I’m not advocate of increasing tolls, or imposing additional tolls,” Rahall said. “I firmly believe it is a form of double taxation. But I do realize funding for the Highway Trust Fund is a real challenge in the future. Funding is going to be problematic, and tolls certainly are on the table. But at this point I’m not ready to propose we finance that on a toll road.”
Rahall said another key component of transportation is general aviation — and the restoration of commercial air service at the Mercer County Airport.
“It will take all of us working together on a regional basis across all political, philosophical and state lines (to restore air service in Bluefield),” Rahall said., “We are all in this together.”
Rahall said Bluefield and its close proximity to the Norfolk Southern rail line also stands to benefit from the proposed Heartland Corridor project.
“Norfolk Southern has been such an important player in this area, and we are working closely with them in developing the Heartland Corridor project,” Rahall said. “As it specifically relates to Mercer County, we are looking for warehouse opportunities.”
Rahall said the Heartland Corridor project would allow cargo containers to be removed from ship to railcar. “It all stays in the same container to its end destination,” Rahall said.
Rahall said construction on the new Nick Rahall Technology Center on the campus of Concord University is now 95 percent complete, and should be opened by March. It will network with existing technology centers in Beckley, Huntington and Lewisburg.
“It will connect southern West Virginia to the rest of the world,” Rahall said. “All four will be connected through teleconferencing.”
Rahall also remains a strong advocate of coal-to-liquid technologies, and believes the creation of new clean coal technologies is absolutely vital to the nation’s future, and the country’s ability to be “weaned away from foreign oil.”
However, Rahall warns the coal industry is under attack.
“Coal is definitely coming under attack these days,” Rahall said. “It’s not just the environmentalists. Coal is coming under attack by other domestic oil sources. I’m not against gas. So natural gas should not be against coal.”
– Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com
