---
type: "Bill"
title: "Obtaining approval for decommissioning or deconstructing of existing power plant"
description: "Obtaining approval for decommissioning or deconstructing of existing power plant"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 609"
citation: "West Virginia SB 609 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Energy"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Smith"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 46
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2023-02-13"
last_action: "2023-05-01"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/826bfe7f-b18b-4f23-a387-159bc7f9363f"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=609&year=2023&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "dd355b7cab8d3591ec4927cbbb6f63d2581e286c2be3d09ca41a2211d2daaa44"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wv"]
---

# West Virginia SB 609 (2023) — Obtaining approval for decommissioning or deconstructing of existing power plant

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Engrossed Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb609%20eng.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=609)
2. **Enrolled Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb609%20enr.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=609)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb609%20intr.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=609)
4. **sb609 h eng am _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/com_amends/sb609 h eng am _1 adopted.htm)
5. **sb609 hfa steele and anderson 3-4 _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb609 hfa steele and anderson 3-4 _1 adopted.htm)
6. **sb609 sfa smith _3 2-16 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb609 sfa smith _3 2-16 adopted.htm)
7. **sb609 sfat smith _1 2-15 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb609 sfat smith _1 2-15 adopted.htm)

## Votes

- Passage — **33–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Smith — primary (person)
- Azinger — cosponsor (person)
- Boley — cosponsor (person)
- Phillips — cosponsor (person)
- Swope — cosponsor (person)
- Taylor — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-02-13** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2023-02-13** To Energy, Industry, and Mining
- **2023-02-13** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2023-02-13** To Energy, Industry, and Mining
- **2023-02-15** Reported do pass, with amendment `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-16** On 1st reading
- **2023-02-16** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2023-02-17** On 2nd reading
- **2023-02-17** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-02-17** Committee amendment withdrawn by unanimous consent
- **2023-02-17** Floor amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2023-02-17** Constitutional Rule Suspended (Roll No. 204)
- **2023-02-17** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-02-17** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 205) `passage`
- **2023-02-17** Effective from passage (Roll No. 205)
- **2023-02-17** Ordered to House
- **2023-02-20** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2023-02-20** To Energy and Manufacturing
- **2023-02-20** To House Energy and Manufacturing `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-02** With amendment, do pass `committee-passage`
- **2023-03-02** Immediate consideration
- **2023-03-02** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2023-03-03** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2023-03-03** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-03-04** On 3rd reading with right to amend, Special Calendar
- **2023-03-04** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2023-03-04** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2023-03-04** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2023-03-04** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2023-03-04** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-03-04** Passed House (Roll No. 493) `passage`
- **2023-03-04** Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2023-03-04** Effective from passage (Roll No. 494)
- **2023-03-04** Communicated to Senate
- **2023-03-06** House Message received
- **2023-03-06** Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 379)
- **2023-03-06** Effective from passage (Roll No. 379)
- **2023-03-06** Communicated to House
- **2023-03-06** Completed legislative action
- **2023-03-06** House received Senate message
- **2023-03-07** To Governor 3/7/2023 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-07** To Governor 3/7/2023 `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-07** Approved by Governor 3/7/2023 `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-08** Approved by Governor 3/7/2023 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-08** Approved by Governor 3/7/2023 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2023-05-01** Chapter 146, Acts, Regular Session, 2023 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/826bfe7f-b18b-4f23-a387-159bc7f9363f`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).