IWG Executive Director Kicks Off 2022 West Virginia Governor’s Energy Summit

Energy Communities IWG Executive Director Dr. Brian Anderson delivered opening remarks at the 2022 West Virginia Governor’s Energy Summit on Oct. 25 at the Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, West Virginia. Anderson provided an overview of the Energy Communities IWG recent accomplishments, historic federal funding opportunities, and highlighted the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL) latest developments in hydrogen energy research.

Hosted by the West Virginia Office of Energy, this annual summit welcomes elected officials, state and local government agencies, industry, research universities, technical and community colleges, non-governmental organizations, regional and national experts to discuss ongoing energy-related topics in the Mountain State. The event was an excellent opportunity for the Energy Communities IWG to initiate and continue collaborations with West Virginia energy stakeholders.

Anderson opened this year’s summit with a focus on federal resources for energy communities, including those in West Virginia, and how NETL’s hydrogen research could help decarbonize the U.S. economy while meeting its energy needs.

“West Virginia is home to many traditional energy workers and families who have powered this country for generations. These people and their communities deserve to thrive during the ongoing energy transition. That’s why events like this West Virginia Governor’s Energy Summit are so important – to provide information on funding, resources and assistance energy communities can take advantage of to revitalize their economies and prosper in the long-term,” said Anderson.

Established by an Executive Order during President Biden’s first week in office, the Energy Communities IWG is pursuing a whole-of-government approach to create good-paying union jobs, spur economic revitalization, remediate environmental degradation and support energy workers in coal, oil and gas, and power plant communities across the country as the U.S. prepares to undergo a historic energy evolution to a carbon emission-free electricity sector by 2035 and economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050.