Cutting spending, curbing prescription drug abuse and utilizing the state's natural resources were just some of the topics West Virginia's governor addressed on Thursday in Wheeling.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin spoke to the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, explaining what's happening in the legislature and what items will be on its agenda next year.

Tomblin said one thing for sure the legislature will be looking at is the state's budget.

He said there will be a shortfall in the state's Medicaid budget and he said making cuts is simply good fiscal management.

"I'm asking everyone to tighten their budgets for this year, so that we can continue our Medicaid programs," Tomblin, a Democrat, said. "What's happened is that with the state of West Virginia doing better, the federal match has dropped as far as Medicaid goes. So it's about a $200 million drop."

The governor said when budget cuts are discussed or take place, in no way will the state's education funding be cut. However, he said every other department will face a decrease in funding.

Tomblin then spoke about the topic of coal and the abundance of natural resources he said the state is sitting on. He said that coal took a hit last year, but he's determined to get production numbers back up.

"That comes from many reasons. It comes from having a very mild winter last year, and it deals with the federal (Environmental Protection Agency) and their regulatory authority who has had an additional cost to the production of coal and it comes to the world economy. And it comes to the world economy. A lot of our coal has been exported to Europe and Asia," he said.

In other topics, the governor talked about the ongoing prescription drug abuse problem in the state and mentioned testing state employees before they are hired.

The governor told the chamber that the state has come a long way, but their work is not finished.

"So guys and ladies in the Legislature, we've got a lot more work to do in the state of West Virginia, but we are moving in the right direction as far as I'm concerned," he said.