West Virginia lawmakers were considering amending or implementing water pollution standards in January when they invited a member of the business community to testify.
Outgoing Cabell County Delegate Kelli Sobonya, a Republican who was chair of the House rule-making review committee, called on Rebecca McPhail, president of the West Virginia Manufacturers Association, to speak.
“We do have some concerns among our membership,” McPhail said, before telling lawmakers that they wanted the DEP to consider that West Virginians drink less water, eat less fish and are heavier than the national average. She also said she had concerns about accuracy when testing for low levels of pollutants.
Yep, you read that correctly: Because West Virginians already have health problems, there’s really no reason to enact more stringent pollution rules.
McPhail? More like McFail.