FOLLANSBEE, W.Va. — West Virginia legislators gathered in Weirton on Wednesday to hear from representatives from the Port of West Virginia.It was part of a day-long effort by Empire Diversified Energy, a group trying to bring business to Follansbee.West Virginia senators, county commissioners, as well as members of the local governments were all on hand.And while opportunities for growth are on their way, they come at an important time with the closure of the Mountain State Carbon plant.
“That’s unfortunate,” State Sen. Owens Brown said. “You know we have a number of people who are looking for jobs, but some of those people will be absorbed. What’s happening (Wednesday) will be a shot in the arm that would help mitigate that loss with this port authority coming in and being built up.”
Lawmakers agree Follansbee is an ideal area for the development with the possibility of expanding transportation services regionally and westward.
“The ideal thing about Follansbee is it’s really tri-modal,” Mayor David Velegol said. “It has the Ohio River. We have train tracks right there, immediate access to a four-lane highway. We connect to Ohio immediately. We connect to Pittsburgh immediately, and it’s just an ideal location. We can really kind of be the hub.”
“Being in the Northern Panhandle, we are probably one of the economic engines of the state because of our density of population,” Brown said. “Then, we are also dealing with both sides of the river – east in Pennsylvania and west in Ohio. Sort of a regional issue that we all work together here and that’s why it’s important.”
Brown noted the space along the river is appealing to those in Charelston due to its geological design.
“One of the problems in West Virginia, there is no flat land in a lot of places, but these sites will be ready and you really won’t have to build as much to the infrastructure there,” Brown said.
Moving forward, replacing revenue in Follansbee will be difficult, but Velegol is excited about the opportunities the Port of West Virginia could deliver.
“The effort behind it, you can just see increase and momentum, and I just think it’s going to be a great thing for the city of Follansbee,” Velegol said.
