State Agency Says It's Cutting Use of State Vehicles

West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection says it’s following the lead of new Gov. Jim Justice and reducing the number of state vehicles its personnel drive.

The department says it will eliminate 35 vehicles, which represent half of its current total of pool vehicles and 9 percent of its overall fleet.

Secretary Austin Caperton, chosen by Justice to lead the agency responsible for licensing mining and drilling and protecting the environment, says Justice “laid out clear direction to reduce costs wherever possible.”

He says the department is no exception.

A 65-year-old coal magnate elected as a Democrat in his first run for statewide office, Justice followed two-term Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.