Barbara Buck
Vice President & Plant Manager , Covestro LLC
As the first female chair of the West Virginia Manufacturers Association ( WVMA ) board , Barbara Buck , vice-president and plant manager of Covestro LLC , is excited to bring her experience and passion to the position as she continues to support the WVMA in its goals for the industry . Named chair in June 2020 , Buck and her fellow board members have worked to support successful legislation on solar energy , perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances studies and COVID-19 liability protection .
“ The board maintains a strategic plan with the overall goal to improve the health and well-being of the manufacturing industry in West Virginia ,” says Buck . “ Nearly all these bills provide the stability and predictability needed to help drive manufacturing investment and growth . From legal climate and regulations to workforce and infrastructure , manufacturers need that certainty to plan and manage operations .”
One long-term goal for the association has been driving legislative changes to support the elimination of machinery and inventory tax to businesses in the Mountain State .
“ It is an ongoing effort , but we remain hopeful that the West Virginia Legislature , state leaders and West Virginians will
embrace this opportunity to grow manufacturing investment and jobs in our state ,” she says . “ Eliminating the machinery and inventory tax has been a proven tax incentive method to attract new businesses to the state , and the same tactic should be used to grow the businesses already in West Virginia .”
Buck interacts with other leaders in the energy and manufacturing industries and understands the importance of both sectors working together , especially as the WVMA has a diverse membership — a key reason for its success . As West Virginia has lost some of its energy cost edge in recent years , the WVMA and its members are working to reverse that trend .
“ Energy and manufacturing are long connected , and each is important to the success of the other ,” says Buck . “ Energy in terms of affordable power generation is a necessity for increasing manufacturing investment in our state . The abundance of natural and renewable resources should be a benefit for the manufacturing industry . Additionally , the oil and gas industry and the downstream manufacturing potential it creates for chemical , petrochemical and plastics manufacturing add to the opportunity for increased manufacturing in our region in the years to come . This is important in maintaining a common focus as the industries intersect , to move West Virginia forward from a sustainability and cost perspective .”
Buck believes West Virginia is positioned to capture some of this investment . “ State leaders continue to march forward with policies that make West Virginia more competitive , and effects of this work are beginning to show ,” she says .
Charlie Burd
Executive Director , Gas & Oil Association of West Virginia
Charlie Burd understands the importance of the oil and natural gas industries , having served as the executive director of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia for almost 20 years before its merger with the West Virginia Oil and Gas Association in late 2020 .
“ An industry speaking from one unified voice and one set of common goals helps us with decision makers , lobbyists and those who count on us to do good things for the state — to drill wells , produce natural gas , sell that gas and provide revenues to owners and to employees ,” he says .
This unified voice comes in the form of the Gas & Oil Association of West Virginia ( GO-WV ) and its goals to position the industry for success , advocate for public policy that will grow and sustain it and educate others on its economic benefits .
Burd and his team keep a close eye on bills in the state legislature . For the 2021 session , these included House Bill ( HB ) 2598 , which would modify the definition of above ground storage tanks to remove storage tanks of 210 barrels or less that contain natural gas production byproducts or raw materials like produced water and oils , and HB 2581 , which deals with the valuation of natural gas-producing properties for tax purposes .
Burd is particularly proud of the way GO-WV members
answered the call for help at the onset of the pandemic , providing food to first responders , medical teams and food banks and mobile restrooms and hand-washing facilities to the homeless , among other things .
“ It was wonderful to see our industry do what it does best , which is help when there is a time of need ,” he says . “ Just take a tour of the Little League baseball diamonds and high school basketball courts across the state . You ’ re going to see a lot of oil and gas company sponsorship signs . They support communities , and we are proud .”
One of Burd ’ s biggest concerns at the moment is the attack on clean fuels like natural gas .
“ There are many places in the U . S . that have passed moratoriums on the use of natural gas in their communities , and we just see that as an egregious act , especially for communities in West Virginia that are located inside the borders of an energyproducing state ,” he says . “ It is an important message for the industry to know the state of West Virginia supports abundant clean fuel .”
Burd hopes those in government at all levels consider the impact of their decisions over the next few years .
“ I ’ d like to help those in charge better understand what we do and how we do it ,” he says . “ We are so much cleaner than we used to be . We have reduced air emissions by 70 % in the last 10 years . Just let the energy sector do what it does best — produce . We are committed to helping the citizens of West Virginia by producing fuel , creating jobs and providing tax revenues for the type of programs that benefit all citizens .”
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