West Virginia Senate Bill SB 258

West Virginia 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/15/26
• Refer: 1/15/26

Caption

DEP rule relating to standards of performance for new stationary sources

Summary

SB 258 is a Department of Environmental Protection rule bill relating to standards of performance for new stationary sources. Based on the caption, the measure appears to address state implementation of performance standards for newly constructed or modified stationary sources of air emissions, likely aligning West Virginia regulatory requirements with existing federal or state air-quality frameworks. Because the bill text was not available in the provided materials, the specific regulatory changes, thresholds, or affected source categories cannot be identified from the record here. As a rule bill, SB 258 would affect administrative law and environmental permitting rather than creating a new standalone program. Its practical impact would be on the DEP’s authority to set, update, or enforce emissions standards for new stationary sources, which can include industrial facilities, power generation units, and other fixed emission sources. The bill likely touches the state code provisions governing air pollution control and may influence how permits, compliance obligations, and performance standards are applied to regulated industries.

Impact

SB 258 would likely amend or authorize changes to West Virginia’s environmental regulations governing standards of performance for new stationary sources, affecting the DEP’s rulemaking and enforcement authority under the state air pollution control framework. The bill’s impact would fall primarily on regulated industrial and energy-sector facilities that must meet emissions and performance requirements when constructing or modifying stationary sources, as well as on permitting and compliance processes administered by the DEP.

Sentiment

There is no committee transcript or recorded vote information provided, so the available record does not show direct debate, support, or opposition. The bill’s procedural status as a reported committee substitute suggests it advanced through committee review, which generally indicates at least some level of legislative acceptance or technical refinement. However, without discussion or vote data, the overall sentiment can only be characterized as procedurally neutral to mildly favorable based on advancement.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. In bills of this type, typical areas of disagreement can include the stringency of emissions standards, the cost of compliance for industry, the scope of DEP authority, and whether state rules should closely track federal environmental requirements. Because no transcript or vote record is available, it is not possible to attribute any such concerns to particular legislators, agencies, or stakeholder groups in this case.