WV Farm Bureau Magazine January 2016 | Page 38

158. IMPACT OF NEW HIGHWAYS ON AGRICULTURE LANDS HIGHWAYS 156. AGRICULTURE VEHICLE EXEMPTION West Virginia Farm Bureau believes agriculture vehicles (tractors, wagons, trucks, combines) should be exempt from West Virginia Code §17C-17-6 requirements prohibiting the load from dropping, sifting, leaking or otherwise escaping therefrom, so long as the material lost is biodegradable and the volume does not pose a hazard to other users of the highway; and no municipalities may infringe upon or otherwise restrict this exemption. 157. FARM VEHICLE REGULATIONS Farmers in West Virginia are being stopped and ticketed for violations of commercial vehicle regulations. The DMV, DOT, PSC, and State Police have conflicting rules and regulations for commercial motor vehicles, or conflicting interpretations of these rules and regulations. West Virginia Farm Bureau recommends that the entities involved pursue reciprocity with their counterparts in adjoining states. Farm Bureau recommends that farmers be exempt from commercial motor vehicle regulations, provided that the motor vehicle is: • Controlled and operated by a farmer/employee for private use • Not being used as a for-hire motor carrier • Being used to transport either: • Livestock, crops or other agricultural products to or from a farm • Vehicles, machines, materials or supplies to be used on a farm • Not carrying hazardous materials of a type or quantity that requires a hazardous materials placard 38 West Virginia Farm Bureau News West Virginia Farm Bureau recommends that the Division of Highways, when planning new highways, be required to include the impact upon agricultural lands of such highways. Special emphasis should be devoted to drainage onto adjacent lands, revegetation, seeding and mulching of road banks. The state should be responsible for erection and maintenance of fencing on interstate and limited access road systems and assume liability for failure to comply. 159. HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS One of the major problems affecting the economic growth of West Virginia is the lack of interstate highways. West Virginia Farm Bureau supports the construction of the Little Kanawha River Parkway from I-79 at Burnsville, via Glenville, Grantsville, and Elizabeth to I-77 at Mineral Wells. We also support the construction of an interstate highway from I-77 in Mercer County to I-64 near Huntington to replace U.S. Route 52, and the upgrading of W.V. Route 2 to a 4-lane highway. We strongly recommend that Corridor H be completed as soon as possible. We support the upgrading of US Route 250 from Corridor H at Norton to US Route 50 in Taylor County using the most feasible course, intersecting with Route 50 between Grafton and Clarksburg. We support the upgrading of Route 50 between Grafton and Clarksburg and the completion of 4-lane highway from the Charles Town Route 340 by-pass to the Virginia state line. We recommend that Interstate 68 be extended from Morgantown to intersect with WV Route 2. 160. CONTINENTAL ONE TRADE CORRIDOR Because of the negative impact on agriculture, West Virginia Farm Bureau opposes the Continental One Trade Corridor concept. This plan involves the building of a 4-lane superhighway adjacent to the existing U.S. Rt. 219. Instead, we favor improvements to the existing road.