Executive Offices

Welcome to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. Our agency is committed to protecting and improving the environmental quality of life for all of West Virginia's citizens. We should never forget the role that our beautiful scenery and rich mineral deposits played in the development of this state and its heritage. The plentiful gas deposits brought a glass industry that still thrives today. West Virginia's glass blowing and its artisans are known throughout the world for quality and craftsmanship. The discovery of rich coal and oil deposits helped settle this land, bringing people from all walks of life and from every point on the map. West Virginia's coal was shipped by rail throughout the northeast allowing development of other areas of the country. The rail lines used to ship our coal also helped build an infrastructure in the state that connected many small towns together allowing other commerce to flourish. Just as we should never forget our wonderful past, we must look to and protect our resources for future generations. Using our knowledge of the industry and the laws governing these resources, responsible management is being achieved.

This web site is dedicated to providing you with the best and most current information on environmental issues that may affect you and your neighbors. It is an interactive site that allows you to communicate your thoughts and needs to me, the directors of each division or the chief of each program office. I encourage you to visit often and to get involved with the issues that determine our environmental future. West Virginia has been blessed with mountains and the natural resources they contain. As citizens, we are responsible for determining how these resources are to be used so that our quality of life, and that of future generations, is enhanced. Please join me and the 800 WVDEP employees who are working to improve our water and air quality, resource recovery processes, waste management, abandoned mine land reclamation, and brownfields remediation.


Harold Ward
Cabinet Secretary

Scott G. Mandirola
Deputy Cabinet Secretary

Contact Information
601 - 57th Street SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Phone: (304) 926-0440
Fax: (304) 926-0446