CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today hosted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Martha Williams in Charleston, W.Va. for meetings focused on alleviating regulatory delays to critical projects across the state. At a recent EPW Committee hearing, Ranking Member Capito secured a commitment from Director Williams to visit West Virginia and address these ongoing issues.

During today’s visit, Ranking Member Capito and Director Williams met with Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Transportation Jimmy Wriston, Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Harold Ward, and held a roundtable with stakeholders, business leaders, and state and regional officials from FWS.

“At a time when we should be taking full advantage of new investments in West Virginia’s infrastructure, we are seeing delays and backlogs due to lengthy agency review processes and staffing shortages,” Ranking Member Capito said. “I appreciate Director Williams fulfilling the commitment she made to come to our state, see firsthand the impact of these projects not being able to get off the ground, and work with us to resolve these problems and coordinate more efficiently moving forward. There is still work to do here, and I look forward to continuing the dialogue with Director Williams and her staff to move projects forward.”

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