WVEC Action Alert

February 28, 2011

Below are Two (2) Action Alerts:

  1. HB 2878 – Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling and
  2. Water Quality Standards Rule

HB 2878:  Please contact all of your representatives in the House of Delegatesurge passage of HB 2878.  We need to reach every member of the House today.  This bill MUST pass the House by Wednesday to remain active this session.  Although this bill lacks a lot of what we’d like to see in a bill regulating the drilling of Marcellus Shale gas, the goal is to keep the discussion about Marcellus alive with hopes of improving it within the next two weeks.


Water Quality Standards Rule:  Please contact members of House Judiciary, and urge this committee to RESTORE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE passed by the Rule Committee on Water Quality Standards.  The bill (and the fate of) water quality in West Virginia is now in the hands of House Judiciary – after being gutted in Senate Natural Resources, and Senate Judiciary declining to restore the proposed standards.

The rule has now been “bundled” with all the rest of the DEP rules and sent to the House, where restoring DEP’s proposed revisions will be opposed by the same industry lobbyists who succeeded in gutting it in the Senate.

Senate Natural Resources Committee approved amendments to remove “excessive water withdrawals” from the rule’s list of activities not allowed in state waters; to remove a new standard for phosphorous to prevent algae blooms in the Greenbrier River; and to remove a new standard for “total dissolved solids” (TDS), which would have provided cleaner drinking water for most West Virginians.

Please contact House Judiciary members:  Ask them to protect West Virginia’s water.  Restore the original language passed by the Rules Committee on Water Quality Standards.

Tim Miley, Chair:        (304) 340-3252           tim.miley@wvhouse.gov
Mark Hunt, Vice Chair: (304) 340-3392        mhunt@markahunt.com
John Ellem:                 (304) 340-3394           ellem@wirefire.com
Patrick Lane:               (304) 340-3275           patricklane@wvhouse.gov
Larry Barker:               (304) 340-3149           larry.barker@wvhouse.gov
Bonnie Brown:            (304) 340-3106           bonnie.brown@wvhouse.gov
Mike Caputo:              (304) 340-3249           mike.caputo@wvhouse.gov
Michael Ferrro:            (304) 340-3111           mike.ferro@wvhouse.gov
Barbara Fleischauer:    (304) 340-3169           barbaraf@wvhouse.gov
John Frazier:                (304) 340-3396           jfrazier@mail.wvnet.edu
Linda Longstreth:       (304) 340-3124           linda.longstreth@wvhouse.gov
Mike Manypenny:       (304) 340-3139           mike.manypenny@wvhouse.gov
Harold Michael:          (304) 340-3340           harold@hardynet.com
Clif Moore:                 (304) 340-3189           clif.moore@wvhouse.gov
John Pino:                   (304) 340-3170           john.pino@wvhouse.gov
Meshea Poore:             (304) 340-3248           meshea.poore@wvhouse.gov
Doug Skaff:                (304) 340-3362           doug.skaff@wvhouse.gov
Danny Wells:              (304) 340-3287           danny.wells@wvhouse.gov
Troy Andes:                (304) 340-3121           troy.andes@wvhouse.gov
Bill Hamilton:             (304) 340-3167           bill.Hamilton@wvhouse.gov
Woody Ireland:           (304) 340-3195           woody.Ireland@wvhouse.gov
Carol Miller:                (304) 340-3176           carol.miller@wvhouse.gov
Jonathan Miller:          (304) 340-3147           jonathan@delegatejmiller.com
John Overington:        (304) 340-3148           john@overington.com
Kelli Sobonya:            (304) 340-3175           kelli.sobonya@wvhouse.gov