Shelley Moore Capito

10/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/30/2024 09:28

Capito Accepts Inaugural West Virginia Women in Energy “Woman of the Year” Award

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, received the first annual West Virginia Women in Energy "Woman of the Year" award and provided acceptance remarks at the 2024 Governor's Energy Summit. The award recognizes Senator Capito's accomplishments and contributions across the energy sector and her dedication to women empowerment and leadership.

"I'm honored to receive this award, and express my most heartfelt thankfulness to the West Virginia Office of Energy for recognizing me and my contributions to this vital industry. Energy is something that is synonymous with the very name of our state. For generations, the resources our state is blessed with and our diligent, tireless workforce have kept lights on and our country on the move. I have made it a central aspect of my career to support that tradition and find new and innovative ways to keep American energy generation right here in West Virginia. We must continue to generate the baseload power that our nation relies on, and you can be certain that I will always be an advocate for expanding that capacity in our state and supporting the men and women who make that possible," Senator Capito said.

Prior to receiving the award, Senator Capito participated in the summit's "Women in Energy Breakfast" where she spoke to attendees about female empowerment and encouraged the women of the summit to support the next generation of West Virginia female leaders in the energy field.

BACKGROUND:

Throughout her time in Congress, Senator Capito has been a staunch advocate and defender of American energy generation in West Virginia. Her leadership has helped advance efforts and important legislation aimed at enhancing energy infrastructure and providing reliable energy sources to West Virginians and Americans.

Some of Senator Capito's energy accomplishments include:

  • Championing and serving as a bill manager of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which funded the hydrogen hubs, priority West Virginia infrastructure projects, and other critical national energy projects. Senator Capito is also a founding member of the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition that led to the creation of the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2).
  • Leading efforts to support the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and authoring language included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act that finalized the pipeline.
  • Founding the Congressional Coal Caucus.
  • Championing 45Q Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) Tax Credits, as well as serving an original co-sponsor of the USE It Act to reduce regulatory barriers to deployment of CCUS technology.
  • Consistently supporting investments in new markets for coal, including carbon manufacturing and extracting rare earth elements essential to America's high tech and defense sectors.
  • Leading Congressional efforts to stop the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) attempt to shut down coal-fired power plants through the Obama Clean Power Plan and authored successful amicus brief, co-signed with 90 members of Congress, to the Supreme Court in West Virginia v. EPA.

Additionally, as West Virginia's first female United States Senator for West Virginia, Senator Capito has made it a point to inspire the next generation of female leaders. In an effort to do this, she launched her West Virginia Girls Rise Up program in 2015. The purpose of the initiative is to empower young women through education, physical fitness, and self-confidence. Earlier this month, Senator Capito completed her 34th event since the program's launch. Learn more about Senator Capito's West Virginia Girls Rise Up program here.

Photos from today's event are included below:

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) accepts the first annual West Virginia Women in Energy "Woman of the Year" award at the 2024 Governor's Energy Summit in Charleston, W.Va. on Wednesday, October 30, 2024.

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) participates in the Women in Energy Breakfast at the 2024 Governor's Energy Summit in Charleston, W.Va. on Wednesday, October 30, 2024.

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