West Virginia House Bill HB 4213

West Virginia 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/14/26
• Refer: 1/14/26

Caption

Relating to authorizing the Department of Environmental Protection to promulgate a legislative rule relating to requirements governing water quality standards.

Summary

HB 4213 is a rule-authorizing bill that would allow the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to promulgate a legislative rule governing water quality standards. Based on the caption, the bill does not itself appear to set out new substantive water quality requirements in the text provided; rather, it authorizes the agency to move forward with rulemaking in this area. In practical terms, the bill is a procedural measure that enables DEP to adopt or update regulations related to water quality standards under state law. Because the full bill text is not available here, the specific contents of the underlying rule are not visible, but the measure is tied to environmental regulation and the state’s oversight of water quality. If enacted, it would affect DEP’s regulatory authority and could influence how water quality standards are implemented, enforced, or revised for regulated entities and affected waters in West Virginia.

Impact

The bill’s main legal effect is to authorize the Department of Environmental Protection to promulgate a legislative rule on water quality standards, which would operate within the state’s administrative rulemaking framework. This would affect the DEP’s authority and could have downstream effects on industries, local governments, utilities, and other parties subject to water quality compliance requirements, depending on the contents of the rule ultimately adopted.

Sentiment

There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history provided, so the bill’s sentiment cannot be measured from debate or roll call data. Based on the caption alone, the measure appears to be a routine administrative authorization bill rather than a highly controversial policy change, but the absence of discussion prevents a firm conclusion about support or opposition.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the materials provided. In general, bills authorizing environmental rulemaking can draw concern from regulated industries, local governments, or environmental advocates depending on whether the resulting standards are viewed as too strict, too weak, or too costly, but no such positions are identified in the available record for HB 4213.