>>> While natural gas production is booming in West Virginia, the boom has not led to greater economic development. Overall, West Virginia lost jobs during the boom, and growth has been disappointing in the counties that have seen the biggest increase in gas production.

>>> With little success, West Virginia has offered large tax incentives to encourage chemical-based manufacturing plants to locate in the state and use its natural gas liquids. Instead, companies pipe the liquids out of West Virginia to be used elsewhere, taking jobs and economic growth with them.

>>> A new severance tax incentive, based on a higher rate for natural gas liquids, with a credit to related in-state industries, may encourage ethane cracking and other chemical manufacturing to create in-state jobs while generating additional tax revenue for investment in infrastructure and human capital.

>>> If West Virginia increased its severance tax on natural gas liquids from five to ten percent, it would increase revenue by an estimated $168 million over the next five years.

From the Globe Newswire, Washington, DC, August 24, 2015

A coalition of U.S. mayors and city officials announced today that they will join the UN Conference of Parties (COP) meeting in Paris in December to showcase their cities’ climate leadership and call for an ambitious international agreement that addresses our climate crisis and supports further action at the local level.

This group of mayors, called the Local Climate Leaders Circle, includes mayors of Atlanta, Boulder, Chula Vista, Columbus, Des Moines, Grand Rapids, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, West Palm Beach, and councilmembers from Santa Monica and King County, Wash.

The Leaders Circle is coordinated in partnership by World Wildlife Fund (WWF), ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, National League of Cities, and U.S. Green Building Council in association with the Compact of Mayors and C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. The Leaders Circle works alongside city officials from across the United States to advance their local climate goals. The partners are working closely with these cities on a range of efforts including updating measurements of their greenhouse gas emissions, preparing local projects to better access needed financing, engaging citizens on climate action, and meeting with high-level representatives from the U.S. government and international community to advance a climate accord that benefits city action, recognizing that the most ambitious local goals can only be achieved alongside an enabling national and international framework.

“Supporting a global climate agreement is critically important for cities around the world,” said National League of Cities President Ralph Becker, Mayor, Salt Lake City. “I’m honored and encouraged that so many of my fellow city leaders have joined in this mission for their residents and the thousands of communities throughout the nation.”

The members of the Local Climate Leaders Circle have committed to the Compact of Mayors, a global coalition of mayors and city officials pledging to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions, enhance resilience to climate change, and track their progress transparently.

“These twelve cities deserve great credit for acting quickly to confront climate change,” said Michael Bloomberg, United Nations Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change and former mayor of New York City. “By drawing attention to the work cities around the world are doing – and helping them speed their progress – the Leaders Circle can help set the stage for a successful climate change summit in Paris later this year.”

http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/08/24/762967/10146972/en/U-S-Mayors-Step-Up-As-Key-Advocates-for-Climate-Change-Action-during-UN-Conference-in-Paris.html