Transparency and accountability have been
key areas of concern since the commissioners were first appointed in September 2014, with opponents of academies questioning why responsibility for schools is being removed from elected local authorities and given to appointed civil servants.
Since 1979, WVU's National Research Center for Coal and Energy has advanced technology in
key areas of concern to West Virginia's energy industry from coal mining and processing to oil and gas extraction, energy efficiency, mine land reclamation, health
concerns, and water use.