Joe Manchin

West Virginia’s 34th Governor, Joe Manchin was born and raised in the small coal town of Farmington, West Virginia. After graduating from West Virginia University, he became a successful businessman. He was a state legislator from 1982 to 1996, and secretary of state from 2000 to 2004.

Governor Manchin has worked tirelessly to improve the economic climate in West Virginia, which is the nation’s second-leading coal producing state. Since he took office in 2005, West Virginia has experienced its lowest-ever unemployment levels, higher per-capita income levels and improved bond ratings. More than 23,000 new jobs and $8.4 billion of new business investments have been created under Manchin’s leadership.

Working with the Legislature, he has fixed the state's workers' compensation system, instituted insurance reforms, dramatically decreased the state's debt and shored up the state’s employee pension programs, strengthened ethics laws, and implemented historic coal mine safety legislation. As a result of this work, the state is in its best financial condition in many years.

Governor Manchin has set the year 2030 as the state’s goal for independence from foreign energy sources. He is helping to steer the state in that direction, encouraging the expansion of new technology to make better use of the state’s massive coal reserves. He also is an advocate for conservation, and for harnessing the state’s other energy resources, including natural gas and the renewable sources of wind, solar, hydro and biomass.

In late-2007, Gov. Manchin traveled to China to explore that country’s growing coal-related industries and to learn more about coal-to-liquids development in Asia. The governor is committed to seeing modern CTL technology developed in his home state.

Governor Manchin has held a number of national leadership positions, including chairman of the Southern States Energy Board, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association and the Southern Governors’ Association, as well as co-chairman of the National Governors Association’s Natural Resources Committee.