HUNTINGTON, W.Va – Governor Patrick Morrisey is headed through southern West Virginia this week to hear from residents and local officials about the challenges facing water infrastructure in the region.
Morrisey kicked off the tour in Huntington on Tuesday and called assuring clean water for West Virginians a key component moving forward.
“It’s part of that fabric of the fundamentals that we need to succeed in to move to the next level. I’m intending to continue to put a lot of initiatives and resources together to make sure that West Virginia is successful in this area,” he said.
The governor’s tour includes stops in multiple counties facing serious issues regarding the availability of clean water for residents. He believes this is an opportunity to hear from the affected people and then do something about it.
“We’re going to listen. We’re going to take questions. We have meetings along the way. We’re going to be in Wayne. We’re going to be in Mingo. We’re going to spend time in Wyoming and we’re going to be in McDowell and we’re going to listen and we’re going to learn. Then, we’re going to act and we’re going to do the right thing,” he said.
Since Morrisey took office, the state has put more than half a billion dollars into water projects around the state. The governor touted those investments on Tuesday and said more projects need to come along.
“We’ve included more than $174 million of state-based monies to create $550 million of overall investments in water infrastructure,” he said.
Morrisey also pointed to a streamlined process for water projects as an important aspect moving forward. He plans to make sure all involved agencies are on the same page.
“Three different state agencies would all ask at different times about water projects, and I started to scratch my head. I said, ‘What in the world is going on?’ We need to be much more organized about this so we can leverage the resources to help more people in need,” he said.
The governor’s listening tour spans the next two days.