For many decades, coal mined from West Virginia was extracted and hauled off by rail cars as a commodity, leaving nothing but a scar in the state's natural surroundings. Now, with coal declining in price in the market, a new commodity has come up readily available for extraction and exploitation but this time West Virginia knows better.
Now there is a natural gas boon and state leaders are working on the creation of a natural gas trust fund to support government functions for the future. One of the major proponents is West Virginia's Senate president Jeff Kessler, who envisions a cushion of funds available to the state while rich in resources has been chronically beset by poverty, high unemployment and cyclical boom and bust incidents.
According to Kessler, "Had we had the good sense to put a few cents aside for every ton of coal that has come out of our groundm we'd probably be the richest state in the Union instead of in many respects the poorest."
The concept is not a new one, as many states have created legacy funds. For Kessler, the Future Fund is still to be calendared for the next legislative session in January. This time though, it would be a better future for resource rich West Virginia.
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