Jessica Pierson Moore
Director & State Geologist , WV Geological and Economic Survey
Jessica Pierson Moore is the first female to hold the title of director of the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey ( WVGES ). Moore , who took on the role in January , says the high point so far has been seeing how the WVGES staff has welcomed her into her new role .
“ Their confidence in my leadership capabilities means a tremendous amount to me , and I hope I can grow into the role and accomplish meaningful results for the agency ,” she says .
WVGES is a state government agency located within the West Virginia Department of Commerce and tasked with the collection and management of the state ’ s geological and geospatial data , according to Moore .
“ It is our job to organize , analyze and disseminate that information in a way that is tailored to our clients , and we can be thought of as the geologic consultants for the people of West Virginia ,” she explains . “ Our work is based in applied science and research , with a strong commitment to public service and outreach . My role as director is to coordinate the research conducted by our coal , oil and gas , geoscience and geographic information system programs , especially as it relates to work within the commerce department , development office and other state agencies .”
The agency ’ s bedrock geologic mapping program produces maps and data that are a fundamental component of any major infrastructure project , whether that is designing a new road route such as Corridor H , identifying slopes with landslide risk or delineating regions of karst topography , which are areas of special concern for pipeline construction .
The motto of the WVGES is geology underlies it all , and that is not hyperbole , Moore says . The geospatial mapping experts work with state leaders from the commerce department and the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council to develop speed tests and map broadband availability and to compile data vital to the expansion of broadband in the state . In each of these projects , the geology matters , she says .
Additionally , the coal program also holds a robust database of major coal beds , samples and derivative analyses and provides this information to industries and the public via a series of interactive mapping applications .
“ We are now delving back into those data to identify potential critical mineral concentrations . Any modern technological application you can think of requires some combination of these critical minerals , and it is imperative the U . S . characterize its resources in order to create and maintain a domestic supply chain ,” she says . “ West Virginia ’ s large legacy database of coal chemistry and trace element concentrations , collected to ensure avoidance of deleterious pollutants , is suddenly useful to identify the potential of Appalachian coal waste for green energy and high-tech applications . It ’ s very exciting .”
Jim Myers
President , FirstEnergy Corp . West Virginia Operations
Jim Myers started his new position at FirstEnergy just after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year . Since then , the company has dealt with repairs due to weather-related damage and aging infrastructure , though Myers says a key to FirstEnergy ’ s success is resiliency .
“ This year , for example , we ’ ll spend $ 16 million in tree trimming , just to make sure ,” he says . “ That ’ s one form of resiliency . The other form of resiliency is reinvestment in the infrastructure , so it ’ s stronger and physically more resilient and maybe even more capable electrically . We have a number of projects on an annual basis that are replacing aging infrastructure , like old conductors , old transformers and old poles .”
Energy companies within the state are interdependent on each other , Myers says . An example of this is in Doddridge County , where they are finishing a new substation that will benefit other companies as well .
“ We ’ re able to assist there by providing facilities to enable their own expansion ,” he says . “ The new substation will also be a great example of all of the smart technology that will go into a new transmission substation . It has the reliability benefit to it as well .”
Another positive for FirstEnergy customers in West Virginia is
a $ 15 million rate reduction , which started this year and equals about a 3.7 % decrease in customers ’ overall bills . This marks four years in a row where FirstEnergy pledged cost savings .
“ We are a forward-thinking electric utility company , powered by a diverse team of employees committed to making customers ’ lives brighter , the environment better and our communities stronger ,” says Myers .
FirstEnergy is committed to building renewable resources to further the state ’ s economic development and to attract investing companies . With a 30 % reduction of carbon usage in 2013 , two years later FirstEnergy pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050 .
“ We ’ re becoming more environmentally conscious , in that we are electrifying many of the vehicles in our fleet ,” he says . “ It really fits in with our carbon neutral goal . You ’ re going to see a lot of things from our company that are really enabled by the political climate that we have and frankly , the growth climate we have here in West Virginia .”
Myers says the company followed and supported bills in the legislature that dealt with facilitating and enabling economic growth , as well as broadband and telemedicine access , which are critical to the state . In particular , he followed House Bill 3089 , which passed both the House and the Senate , making utility workers essential employees during a state of emergency .
“ Often when travel is limited on the highways and things like that , it keeps us from getting out to restore service ,” he says . “ It can take a while to get an exclusion and to allow our folks to legally travel on the roads . This will help us avoid that time frame .” •
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