Trending
WEIRTON -- Mark Zatezalo of Weirton has announced that, following fellow legislator Ryan Weld's decision not to run for West Virginia attorney general, he has dropped his plan to run for Weld's Senate seat and instead will seek re-election to the state House of Delegates, where he has served for eight years.
Zatezalo said he has come to know and respect his fellow Republican Weld, who had endorsed him as his successor for a seat representing the 1st Senatorial District and was surprised when Weld told him he would not be running for attorney general as planned.
Zatezalo said after learning of Weld's plans to remain in the Senate, he wanted to continue working with him and others to support the state's fossil fuel industry, among other goals, which he could continue to do as a state delegate.
"One of the main reasons I ran for office was to help our state take advantage of the energy resources under our feet. Despite its relatively small area, West Virginia has become the fifth largest energy producer in the United States," he said, adding by mining the Marcellus Shale, the state's production of natural gas has increased to 2.5 million cubic feet per day.
"However, there are troubling signs on the horizon. The Biden administration's energy policy, which disregards harm to the electric grid due to the premature closing of fossil fuel generating facilities has made the stakes even higher than they were," said Zatezalo.
"If re-elected to the House in November (2024), I will be able to continue the work I started with the Energy Council and Council of State Governments in the House of Delegates to enable the state and our area to develop our economy using our resources," he said.
As vice chair of the House Committee on Energy, Zatezalo is one of four state legislators who represent West Virginia on the Energy Council, which includes representatives of 15 states and Canada.
He said through it, he's learned more about fossil fuel resources as well as renewable energy sources.
Zatezalo said he believes the latter have a place among the nation's energy options and "can be an add-on to our existing resources," but lack the capacity of the more traditional resources.
"We shouldn't replace coal and nuclear power from the grid until a good replacement is found," he said.
A Weirton native, he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in geology at West Virginia University and the University of Missouri, respectively, and worked for 35 years as a geological consultant in the fields of nuclear power, coal mining, building construction and landfills.
As a state delegate, he has served on the House Judicial Committee for seven years, the Committee on Workforce Development and most recently, the Committee on Jails and Prisons.
Zatezalo said a major issue faced by the latter committee is a lack of personnel that has led to correctional facilities drawing on National Guard members for staffing.
He said if re-elected, he will work with others to find ways to attract and retain correctional officers.
"I'm proud of the job we've done, but there's a lot more to do," he said.