West Virginia Code 22-18-12 – Confidential information
Information obtained by any agency under this article shall be available to the public unless the director certifies such information to be confidential. The director may make such certification where any person shows, to the satisfaction of the director, that the information or parts thereof, if made public, would divulge methods, processes or activities entitled to protection as trade secrets. Nothing in this section may be construed as limiting the disclosure of information by the division to any officer, employee or authorized representative of the state or federal government concerned with effecting the purposes of this article.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 22-18-12
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Director: means the director of the Division of Environmental Protection or such other person to whom the director has delegated authority or duties pursuant to sections six or eight, article one of this chapter. See West Virginia Code 22-18-3
- Division: means the Division of Environmental Protection. See West Virginia Code 22-18-3
- Person: means any individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, public, private or government corporation, partnership, association, state or federal agency, the United States government, this state or any other state, municipality, county commission or any other political subdivision of a state or any interstate body. See West Virginia Code 22-18-3
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
Any person who knowingly and willfully divulges or discloses any information entitled to protection under this section is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $5,000, or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than six months, or both fined and imprisoned.