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  1. Mountain Valley Pipeline Receives FERC Approval to Resume Construction

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    Federal regulators have given the Mountain Valley Pipeline the green light to restart construction.

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued an order Wednesday allowing developers to “proceed with all construction activities.”

    Work on the project is expected to resume “shortly,” said Natalie Cox, director of communications and corporate affairs for project developers Equitrans Midstream Corp., in an email to WV News.

    “We expect the first of several forward-construction crews to begin work on the right of way shortly, and Mountain Valley continues to target project completion by year-end 2023,” she said.

    US Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., celebrated the news on Twitter.

    “I just received confirmation that the Mountain Valley Pipeline has received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to resume all construction activities,” she said in a tweet posted Wednesday afternoon. “This was the final step needed for the MVP to be completed. Great news for WV and American energy!”

    On Friday, Capito announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had issued the final federal permit needed to restart construction.

    “The Mountain Valley Pipeline is set to receive its final Sec. 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers!” she said in a tweet. “This critical step forward is because of a provision I helped include in the Fiscal Responsibility Act that will expedite the MVP’s completion.”

    On June 16, Gov. Jim Justice said the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection had issued the MVP’s final state-level permit.

    “To the best of my ability, I’m not aware of anything else that is another step that people are waiting on,” he said. “If there be another step, we’ll be on it. I believe that construction has the possibility of starting real, real, real soon.”

    The Fiscal Responsibility Act, the package passed by Congress earlier this month following an impasse over raising the nation’s borrowing limit, mandated all federal permits required for the stalled pipeline to resume construction be issued by last Saturday.

    The MVP project was initially started in 2014. Equitrans Midstream said at the time, the pipeline was expected to be completed by the end of 2018 at an overall cost of around $3.5 billion.

    The company recently said the current estimated total cost is approximately $6.6 billion.

    In West Virginia, the MVP’s route runs through Braxton, Doddridge, Fayette, Greenbrier, Harrison, Lewis, Monroe, Nicholas, Summers, Webster and Wetzel counties.

     

    Original article by Charles Young on WVNews.com

    Original Article Here

  2. Mountaintop Beverage Begins Production in Morgantown Industrial Park

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    Got milk? Mountaintop Beverage does.

    Got a 330,000 square-foot state-of-the-art automated aseptic bottling facility capable of processing staggering amounts of raw dairy into an array of products with up to a one-year shelf life?

    Mountaintop has that too.

    And it’s just getting started.

    On Friday, the first trucks carrying shelf-stable milk from the Mountaintop Beverage facility rolled away from the Morgantown Industrial Park to locations across the country.

    Not bad when you consider the site where the massive factory stands was literally a mountaintop in August of 2021.

    Since then, 1.7 million cubic yards of dirt was relocated, 50,000 tons of concrete was set in place and a dizzying tangle of stainless-steel piping — eight miles worth — was pieced together to form the plant’s circulatory system.

    “This is quite a place,” Mountaintop Beverage CEO Jeffrey Sokal said.

    And it’s got quite a mission.

    “The goal we have is to help rebuild the farming infrastructure and to rebuild dairy. Dairy production in the state of West Virginia is down roughly by half over the last 10 years,” Sokal said. “The state has very strong FFA and 4-H programs. So, for folks who want to farm, this factory is going to be here for decades.”

    That’s why recruiting Sokal and his team from western New York to West Virginia became a priority for Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt and West Virginia Dairy Association Deputy Commissioner Joe Hatton.

    Sokal credits both men primarily for bringing Mountaintop Beverage to the Mountain State and notes hundreds of individuals, from the governor’s office to the county commission, have gone the extra mile to help make it happen.

    “We’ve felt welcome right from the start and made to feel like this project is important to the state and the community. So many people have gone out of their way to push this project,” he said.

    “And we want to be here. There are industrial parks with shovel-ready sites all over Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, but we wanted to be here because of what this facility can do for this state, the community, the ag community and the dairy industry. We went to a lot of trouble to clear this site. So, anybody who questions why we came here, we came here to make a difference.”

    Today, about one-third of the 330,000 square-foot factory built as Phase I of the overall project is in production. It currently has a workforce of 150 people. Sokal anticipates the entire facility will be operational by year’s end, with more than 200 employees producing shelf-stable milk, coffee products, protein shakes and plant-based beverages.

    A big emphasis for the company will be school milk.

    The last year saw the closure of several large production facilities, creating shortages of school milk all over the country, and particularly in the southeast.

    Sokal explained the school milk production capacity coming online at Mountaintop Beverage is the largest in the United States by a factor of three.

    And that will represent just one of the facility’s three production lines.

    Currently, the plant is receiving its milk from Somerset County, Pa.

    Even in its limited startup capacity, the plant already has a demand nearly twice what West Virginia farms can provide.

    Further, there’s already a dairy processor in the state, United Dairy.

    “If I’m taking all the milk from local farms, then I’m taking milk away from their business. If I’m bidding the schools, which are typically supplied by United, then I’m taking business and jobs away from Wheeling, Charleston and Uniontown, where they operate. That doesn’t do the area any good. We’re just shuffling deck chairs,” he said.

    “What we want to do is rebuild. Initially, we’re getting our milk from Somerset Valley and over time as we rebuild the dairy infrastructure and help build up dairy farming in and around the state, then we can do that cooperatively with them.”

    And while Sokal and his team are figuratively building the state’s dairy industry, they’ll be physically building more production capacity.

    Sokal anticipates construction on an additional 170,000 square feet of production space, or Phase II, could begin as early as this summer and come online in 2025. After that, Phase III.

    “We designed a 750,000 square-foot factory. We just haven’t built it all yet,” he said.

    Playing a critical role in those expansion plans is the question of interstate access, meaning the construction of the new Harmony Grove interchange connecting I-79 to the industrial park.

    Glenn Adrian, co-owner of the Morgantown Industrial Park as part of Enrout Properties, said he’s hopeful the new interchange will be under construction in 2024 and open in 2025.

    Sokal admitted the pace at which this process is moving has been a frustration.

    “Bottom line is we wouldn’t have come if we didn’t get that commitment from the state. We’re here. We feel like we’ve held up our end. So it’s certainly taken a little longer than we would have hoped, but I think they’re making material progress now,” he said. “For us, you can’t really overstate how important that is.”

     

    Original Article by Ben Conley on The Dominion Post.com

    Original Article Here

  3. Gov. Justice Announces UNDBIO Secures Lease in Monongalia County

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    A lower-cost insulin manufacturer has taken the next step toward establishing a location in West Virginia.

    UNDBIO, a South Korean company, has secured a lease with West Virginia University to build an insulin manufacturing facility in Morgantown.

    The company anticipates creating 200 jobs within the first three years while investing $100,000,000 in phase one of the project.

    Gov. Jim Justice celebrated the lease agreement and praised the development during a briefing at the state Capitol.

    “The Morgantown area has a strong manufacturing history and I am proud that UNDBIO will join our growing list of successful, world-leading manufacturing companies who’ve chosen the Mountain State,” Justice said.

    The company has plans to build the manufacturing facility in the West Virginia University Research Park. Company leaders have said the project is valued at about $100 million and is expected to employ as many as 1,200 when up and running.

    The company plans to partner with West Virginia University on other research projects as well.

    “It’s really a firming up of the commitment. West Virginia’s made some financial commitments, and UNDBIO has made substantial commitments to the Morgantown area,” state Development Secretary Mitch Carmichael said on MetroNews’ “Talkline.”

    He added, “It’s really a revitalization of the pharmaceutical industry in the Morgantown area, and it’s great for West Virginia — and it’s great for Morgantown in particular.”

    UNDBIO has been developing a proprietary manufacturing method aimed at lowering the cost of insulin.

    In phase one, the facility will work to secure Food and Drug Administration approval for the product. After securing FDA approval, UNDBIO plans to expand, resulting in additional jobs.

    Carmichael acknowledged the FDA approval could still take time, but he drew confidence from the insulin’s acceptance and production in other countries.

    “Ground will be broken on the building this fall, and FDA approval will not be forthcoming for probably a year and a half or two — and you can’t control the speed at which the FDA approves.

    But, Carmichael added, “the nice thing that gives everyone confidence about it is that it’s already being utilized and manufactured in other countries throughout the world. So the fact that it needs American FDA approval is significant and we’ll undergo that process, but the project is moving forward.”

    The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reports more than 34 million people in the country have diabetes and one in 10 West Virginians are affected by the disease. The data also shows nearly 20-percent of people with diabetes skipped, delayed or rationed insulin due to cost.

    “The mission of UNDBIO is to develop and produce state-of-the-art insulin in West Virginia,” UNDBIO Chairman Caleb Jun said.

    “Our products will save human lives and improve the quality of life for those afflicted with diabetes. We are excited to see West Virginia become a mecca for manufacturing highly advanced insulin to treat diabetic patients around the world.”

     

    Original Article by Brad McElhinny on WVMetroNews.com Original Article Here

  4. Positive Economic Growth for the Future of the Mountain State

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    In the past 18-24 months, several positive news stories touting new and expanding business facilities and job creation have been announced within Black Diamond Realty’s West Virginia footprint.  This article recaps some of these notable announcements that will build positive economic growth for the future of the Mountain State.

    Most recently, Clorox revealed the opening of cat litter manufacturing plant in the Eastern Panhandle of WV. The 97,000 square foot plant is open in Martinsburg WV and will produce the company’s Fresh Step and Scoop Away products. This plant will begin with more than 100 workers, including over 80 from West Virginia. Clorox plans to be in full production by early 2023. The company has also built a 450,000-square-foot warehouse down the road from the plant.

    Read more here: https://www.blackdiamondrealty.net/local-news/clorox-opens-cat-litter-plant-in-martinsburg/

    In August, it was announced that the West Virginia AeroTech Park will house North Central West Virginia Airport’s new terminal building, an expanded taxiway, an enlarged parking lot and will provide ample build-ready land for the continued growth and development of the region’s aerospace industry. The total economic impact of construction expenditures for the airport’s terminal expansion project is estimated to be $88 million, of which more than $55 million will be spent directly, and another $33 will be generated in secondary industries, according to analysis from the WVU Bureau of Business and Economic Research. The terminal expansion project is estimated to employ about 356 construction workers directly, and another 199 in supplier industries, for a total employment impact of 555 jobs.

    Read more here: https://www.blackdiamondrealty.net/local-news/officials-celebrate-completion-of-site-development-for-west-virginia-aerotech-park/

    With July came the announcement that West Virginia would be launching the state’s second small satellite, the WVU Small Satellite Center, in North Central WV. The SmallSat Center will work with businesses and other organizations to develop West Virginia’s second small satellite and to help those partners offer services and products to clients who want to fly experiments out to low orbit. Candy Cordwell (assistant director) said the SmallSat Center will create 15 new jobs immediately: five at WVU and 10 through the consultant company that will initially be contracted to offer small satellite simulation, design, manufacturing, deployment and management services to the team. Within three to five years, as the center becomes financially self-sustaining, she predicted that the high-wage staff positions will increase to more than 30 jobs in administration, business development, education and advanced aerospace manufacturing. This center not only boosts the aerospace industry statewide but also provides the hope to increase students K-12 interest and education in engineering/growth within the STEM field.

    Read more here: https://www.blackdiamondrealty.net/local-news/west-virginia-aerospace-industry-set-to-take-off-with-launch-of-wvu-small-satellite-center/

    Groundbreaking occurred in June for a state-of-the-art hub for managing and coordinating complex medical supply logistics.  Owens & Minor, a Fortune 500 company that provides medical supplies, is going to expand on a deal they previously had with WVU Medicine and create over 125 jobs at a healthcare products preparedness and supply center in Morgantown.
    Read More here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220627005704/en/Owens-Minor-Breaks-Ground-on-Center-of-Excellence-for-Medical-Supply-Logistics-in-West-Virginia

    In June 2022, South Korean drug manufacturer UNDBIO signed a Memorandum of Understanding pledging to manufacture insulin in West Virginia. The letter indicates there are plans to locate the facility at the West Virginia University Research Park in Morgantown.

    The news of this agreement between UNDBIO and the State of West Virginia is a positive step forward in UNDBIO’s quest to manufacture insulin right here in West Virginia. “While there is still more work to do to finalize this new facility, I stand ready to help to make sure this becomes a reality. I congratulate UNDBIO on this advancement and look forward to supporting them in their investment that could lead to creating more than 1,000 jobs in West Virginia.” – U.S. Senators Joe Manchin

    Read more here: https://www.blackdiamondrealty.net/local-news/korean-drug-maker-pledges-to-build-plant/

    In March, American Medicines Company announced that they are going to build a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in West Virginia. This will bring 500 to 600 high-tech jobs to West Virginia. After listening to an interview with Crystal Mersh she mentioned that they do plan for this company is to not only develop medications, but to also manufacture and distribute.

    Read more here: https://wchstv.com/news/local/company-to-bring-500-to-600-high-tech-jobs-to-wva-official-says?fbclid=IwAR3gcrafpMiiFe0B5IzAz7GTEpk4IAjBibl87A6p4NZXxc8K1CC-c9C3WB8

    Video interview with Crystal Mersh: https://twitter.com/WVMetroNews/status/1509557921050501122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1509557921050501122%7Ctwgr%5E9d51eb96789f23d2ba243749c744cacb2ce5c3c1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwvmetronews.com%2F2022%2F03%2F31%2Fpharmaceutical-company-envisioned-to-develop-manufacture-distribute-from-west-virginia%2F

    Also in March, it was revealed that Omnis Building Technologies will build a $40 million, 150,000-square-foot facility in Bluefield to manufacture housing materials that will revolutionize the future of residential construction, creating 150-300 jobs in the process.  Additionally, PepsiCo Beverages and Frito-Lay are investing a combined $32.5 million to build a pair of new, state-of-the-art warehouse and distribution facilities in West Virginia by the end of 2022, bringing dozens of additional new jobs to the state. (Jordan Damron wrote: https://governor.wv.gov/News/press-releases/2022/Pages/Governor-Justice-West-Virginia-reaches-2nd-highest-export-growth-rate-in-nation-in-2021.aspx)

    Read more here: https://www.blackdiamondrealty.net/local-news/pepsico-opening-new-facilities-in-west-virginia/

    In January , GreenPower Motor Company announced an agreement with the state to manufacture zero-emission, all-electric school buses in South Charleston, bringing hundreds of new jobs and millions of dollars in economic impact to West Virginia. The operation is expected to bring 200 new jobs to the state within the next year and the potential to create as many as 900 jobs once full production is reached in 24 months, the news release said. https://www.blackdiamondrealty.net/local-news/automobile-manufacturing-company-to-open-facility-in-south-charleston/

    To kickoff 2022, Governor Jim Justice revealed that Nucor Corporation selected Mason County as the location for a state-of-the-art sheet steel mill. This record investment will exceed $2.7 billion, making it the largest in West Virginia history, as well as the largest single investment Nucor has ever made.

    Read more here: https://governor.wv.gov/News/press-releases/2022/Pages/Gov.-Justice-announces-Nucor-to-make-largest-investment-in-West-Virginia-history.aspx

    Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia (TMMWV) will invest $210 million to upgrade existing engine production and add 100 new jobs to increase assembly capacity of its four-cylinder engine line. Once complete, TMMWV’s total investment will be more than $1.8 billion and total employment will exceed 2,000.
    “This is such exciting news for West Virginia’s business community as well as our families that businesses are choosing to grow their organizations here. Toyota is a wonderful example of how a global company can be successful right here in West Virginia.” – U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, praised Toyota for their long-term commitment to the Mountain State.

    Read more here: https://www.blackdiamondrealty.net/local-news/toyota-west-virginia-announces-210-million-new-investment-and-100-new-jobs/

    Virgin Hyperloop announced Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020 that it will locate a certification facility on nearly 800 acres of land spanning Tucker and Grant counties where it will leverage intellectual capital and resources from West Virginia University, Marshall University and from across the state. Virgin Hyperloop plans to directly hire 150-200 engineers and technicians for the facility with plans to source talent locally. In addition, the construction and manufacturing of the project will create 7,300 jobs throughout the region over the next five years and the longer-term operation phase will create 6,000.

    Read more here: https://www.blackdiamondrealty.net/local-news/virgin-hyperloop-to-build-hyperloop-certification-center-in-west-virginia/

    As of November 2020, Bridgeport, WV received news that it would be the benefactor of a portion of 300 new aircraft technician jobs between MHIRJ Aviation Inc.’s (MHIRJ) West Virginia and Arizona facilities.  https://www.blackdiamondrealty.net/local-news/mhirj-aviation-inc-announces-hiring-plan-for-300-available-positions-at-bridgeport-location/

    For continuous updates on community news, follow us on social media: Facebook  and sign up for our newsletter list!

     

  5. Korean Drug Maker Pledges to Build Plant in Morgantown

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    MORGANTOWN W.V. – South Korean drug manufacturer UNDBIO has signed a Memorandum of Understanding pledging to manufacture insulin in West Virginia. The letter indicates there are plans to locate the facility at the West Virginia University Research Park in Morgantown.

    Mitch Carmichael, the Secretary of State for Economic Development of West Virginia and Yong Soo Jun, Chairman of UNDBIO, Inc. signed an MOU on May 17, 2022, with the state agreeing to provide fiscal, tax, and other incentives to promote the company’s production of insulin.

    “I am happy to establish our relationship with the State of West Virginia to manufacture affordable insulin and insulin analogues for the diabetic population around the globe,” said UNDBIO’s Chairman Jun. in a press release. “We would welcome other partners and investors into our global insulin project,” he said.

    The announcement comes with the hope that UNDBIO’s plans will come to fruition, resulting in 1,200 new manufacturing jobs in Monongalia County. UNDBIO plans to begin construction on the manufacturing plant during the second half of 2022, complete the plant in 2023 and manufacture clinical drugs for human clinical trials in 2024.

    Company officials met with U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelly Moore Capito who both have expressed support for the project.

    “UNDBIO has showcased their commitment to bringing long-term, good-paying jobs to West Virginia and as UNDBIO, WVU and state officials continue discussions, my staff and I are prepared to support these efforts to bring manufacturing opportunities to the Mountain State,” said Manchin.

    “The news of this agreement between UNDBIO and the State of West Virginia is a positive step forward in UNDBIO’s quest to manufacture insulin right here in West Virginia. While there is still more work to do to finalize this new facility, I stand ready to help to make sure this becomes a reality. I congratulate UNDBIO on this advancement and look forward to supporting them in their investment that could lead to creating more than 1,000 jobs in West Virginia.”

     

    Original Article by Dave Wilson on wvmetronews.com, June 8, 2022

    Original Article Here

  6. Reasons to Invest in Appalachia

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    Between potential for growth in the energy and manufacturing sectors, coupled with technology and federal government operations, there are plenty of sound investment opportunities in the Appalachian region despite its challenges.

    Such was the subject of industry and business development conferences held recently in Monongalia County. At the eighth annual Marcellus to Manufacturing Development Conference, Solvay Senior Vice President Wally Kandel said West Virginia has advantages in downstream industrial potential for its natural gas unique to other high-production areas around the globe.

    He said that while the U.S. Gulf Coast remains a production and shipping powerhouse for natural gas, that region remains vulnerable to hurricanes and is far from the majority of its customers. Kandel said the decision to invest more heavily in the Gulf Coast was a sound one based on the technology and knowledge available in 2010. However, much has changed with the advent of horizontal drilling, and the advantages of the shale deposits in Appalachia are becoming more and more obvious. “In our case, we don’t have to decide where the customers are and where the feedstock is,” he said, noting that a majority of the U.S. population is within a day’s drive of West Virginia. “We need a shining bright new image that shows that.

    Many of the conference attendees also spoke in support of the Appalachian Storage and Trading Hub and the supporting pipelines needed to move the product to markets. Mike Graney, head of the West Virginia Development Office, pointed to the new polyethylene cracker plant under construction in Butler County, Pennsylvania, which is the biggest project in Pennsylvania since World War II and has one of the world’s longest supply trains on site supporting the construction effort. He said there’s enough gas in the region to support five of these facilities, which convert natural gas into pellets that can be used for manufacturing a wide variety of products. Another cracker plant worth $10 billion is in the works in Ohio as well. “We’ve got attractive states for industrial development,” he said.

    Citing sources such as The Cato Institute think tank, financial services company Moody’s Corporation, the state development office’s own findings and others, Graney said West Virginia has seen $5 billion in investments since 2017, has a better business tax climate than any of its surrounding states, has the nation’s lowest turnover rate in manufacturing, has the 11th lowest cost of doing business, has no business franchise tax and has a strong rainy-day fund. Some of that investment is already taking place. Frank Bakker, CEO of US Methanol, said his company is in the process of dismantling two of its facilities in Brazil and Slovenia and relocating them to West Virginia. “What is methanol? It’s alcohol in its purest form,” Bakker explained. “You can drink it … you’ll go blind and die … but there are lots of uses for it.” The largest use of methanol is in manufacture of other chemicals, which is why US Methanol is establishing itself in Kanawha County to be close to both the local petrochemical industry and accessible, abundant natural gas that can be converted to methanol.

    Other applications include laboratory solvents, antifreeze and vehicle fuel. A small amount of methanol can be added to wastewater to provide a food source of carbon for the denitrifying bacteria, which convert nitrates to nitrogen to reduce the denitrification of sensitive aquifers in some wastewater treatment plants. Challenges to further developing the storage hub and the economic goodies that come with it include a lack of flat land for construction, as well as a lack of cohesive strategic planning. However, Graney said these are issues that can be overcome. “I say we can overcome all of that if we have the right attitude,” he said. “West Virginia is not only wild and wonderful and beautiful. It is a powerhouse.” Kandel said it’s also a matter of properly informing those at the top of large companies around the world what the Appalachian region is capable of.

    During the second annual Take Me Home Country Roads Conference, organized by the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Society of Professional Services, West Virginia High Technology Foundation President James Estep said the state’s knowledge economy is being enhanced by the transition of federal government operations out of the crowded Washington, D.C., metro area. “The cost of operations there has become astronomical. It just doesn’t make business sense to stay there,” Estep said, referring to Northern Virginia and Western Maryland. “It can be transformative not only economically but cement in place a knowledge sector that could be an example for the whole country.

    An example of this in action is tech company Leidos’ work with NASA and the National Energy Technology Laboratory. In fact, this prompted the firm to start building a whole new campus at Monongalia County’s West Ridge development off Interstate 79. Estep said that as federal functions move to a new area, companies to support those functions also move into the area to go where the work is. He said this often leads to a ripple effect where companies branch out and expand their operations to keep up with demand, creating more jobs in the process.

     

    Article By: Connor Griffith, WVNews