WVEC Action AlertDecember 7, 2010Urge Lawmakers to Pass Marcellus Shale Drilling Bill Out of Subcommittee Last month the Joint Legislative Interim Judiciary Subcommittee A introduced a draft bill establishing a new regulatory program for gas wells utilizing horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. While the bill is aimed at regulating the Marcellus Shale gas well drilling occurring now in West Virginia, it would apply to all drilling using these new drilling techniques. The subcommittee will begin discussing this important bill as early as next Monday, at their December Interim committee meetings. Our preliminary reading of this draft legislation shows that it contains some good things and some not-so-good things, and omits some things we want. But it is important that the subcommittee pass a bill out before Interim sessions end in January, so that the full legislature will have a comprehensive draft bill to consider when they convene on January 12. Some background: Conventional natural gas drilling and production is a major industrial activity with a host of environmental consequences. Effects can range from water contamination related to drilling and disposal of drilling fluids, air quality degradation from internal combustion engines on drill rigs and trucks, excess dust from equipment transportation, impacts to solitude and night skies from noise and lighting, and safety concerns associated with the large number of trucks needed to support drilling operations. However, “unconventional” shale-gas drilling, such as in the Marcellus Shale play, represents a huge leap in technology, and causes an exponential increase in surface disturbance, water use and waste disposal. And all this new activity is largely unregulated in West Virginia. Please contact NOW the members of Interim Judiciary Subcommittee A and urge them to pass this comprehensive draft legislation out of subcommittee and on to the full legislature for its further consideration. Committee members need to know their constituents are concerned about the greater impacts of Marcellus and other deep shale drilling and this bill is a crucial start. Including comments about problems you've experienced or know about in other areas of the state is helpful, but not necessary. The industry has already made its opposition to this bill known -- now it's time for legislators to hear from you Below is a list of Judiciary A Subcommittee members and their contact information. You can also try to contact (and leave messages for) members using the Toll Free phone number: 1-877-565-3447. Thanks for your help. Don Garvin, WVEC Legislative Coordinator Judiciary A Subcommittee Senate Members Senator Herb Snyder - Chair (D - Jefferson) District 16 Senator Clark S. Barnes (R - Randolph) District 15 Senator Richard Browning (D - Wyoming) District 9 Senator Frank Deem (R - Wood) District 3 Senator Dan Foster (D - Kanawha) District 17 Senator Mike Hall (R - Putnam) District 4 Senator William R. Laird IV (D - Fayette) District 11 Senator Joseph M. Minard (D - Harrison) District 12 Senator Ron Stollings (D - Boone) District 7 Senator Jack Yost (D - Brooke) District 1 Senator Jeffrey V. Kessler (D - Marshall) District 2 Judiciary A Subcommittee House Members Delegate William R. Wooton - Chair (D - Raleigh) District 27 Delegate Larry W. Barker (D - Boone) District 18 Delegate Mike Caputo (D - Marion) District 43 Delegate Michael T. Ferro (D - Marshall) District 04 Delegate Robert A. Schadler (R - Mineral) District 49 Delegate Patti Eagloski Schoen (R - Putnam) District 14 Delegate Danny Wells (D - Kanawha) District 30 Delegate Tim Manchin (D - Marion) District 43 - Nonvoting member Delegate Tim Miley (D - Harrison) District 41
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