Source : Charleston Gazette

WELLSBURG, W.Va. — A Northern Panhandle city is saying no thanks to natural gas drilling and the revenue it can provide.

Media outlets report that Wellsburg City Council voted Tuesday night to ban drilling and fracking within 1 mile of the city limits. The ordinance extends the ban outside Wellsburg’s limits because of concerns about the city’s drinking water.

City Solicitor Bill Cipriani says state law allows cities to extend their authority within a mile outside their borders if necessary.

Chesapeake Energy objected to the ban. Chesapeake is among the many companies rushing to tap the Marcellus shale reserve.

Other local governments in West Virginia have signed deals with drilling companies, including McMehen, Wheeling, Morgantown and the Marshall County school district.

OK, so New York has a moratorium, so does New Jersey.  Buffalo and Pittsburgh have banned it, and now our neighbor, Lewisburg, WV has called for a statewide moratorium.  Is this not enough!   People are waking up, this is dangerous, and it must be stopped until regulations are ON THE BOOKS!

Well – if it was not enough, here is one more – a little ditty from Morgantown, WV:

RESOLUTION FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A STATE MORATORIUM ON ISSUANCE OF ADDITIONAL PERMITS FOR HORIZONTAL DRILLING IN MARCELLUS SHALE UNTIL ADEQUATE STATE REGULATIONS ARE PROMULGATED TO PROTECT THE DRINKING WATER SUPPLIES, PUBLIC HEALTH, AND…PUBLIC SAFETY.

Whereas, the mile deep drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale utilizes horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques which involve the use of millions of gallons of fresh water for each frac job, and the transport, storage and use of hazardous chemicals, and the production of drill tailings and waste water which contain heavy metals and naturally occurring radioactive materials, and

Whereas, the harmful large and sometimes untimely withdrawals of water from streams, the mismanagement of the construction of cement drilling casings, and the mismanagement of spills and disposal of large quantities of used brine chemical solutions can pose serious damage to drinking water supplies, public health, and public safety as well as to fish, livestock, wildlife and other living organisms, and

Whereas, the present State regulations for governing the management of Marcellus Shale and other lower formations are inadequate to protect water resources throughout the State including the Monongahela River watershed, and

Whereas, state regulations do not adequately protect the sources of water for public water supply from contaminations by chemicals used in drilling and fracking and from total dissolved solids (TDS) which cannot be filtered by municipal water and sewer treatment systems, and

Whereas, in its 2011 regular session, the State Legislature did not support additional funding for the State Department of Environmental Protection to increase its number of inspectors to safely and adequately monitor development of 900 permitted Marcellus Shale wells as well as to manage the existing 59,000 operating oil and gas wells and the approximately 20,000 abandoned oil an gas wells in the State, and

Whereas, in its 2011 regular session, the State Legislature did not complete its work to safely and effectively establish guidelines for the protection of State water resources, air quality, nor roadways in the development of Marcellus Shale, and

Whereas, the City Council of Morgantown wishes to join with 23 or more Delegates and other cities to halt permits being issued to drill in the Marcellus Shale and to encourage the Governor to call a special session of the State Legislature to address these issues in a timely manner:

Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved, the City Council of Morgantown urges the State Department of Environmental Protection to use its emergency authority to temporarily freeze the issuance of drilling permits until comprehensive legislation and inspection resources for horizontal well drilling are established to effectively protect public water resources, public health and public safety. Mayor, City of Morgantown Attest: City Clerk

Source : WHSV

WV Professor Offers Advice to Track Drilling’s Effects on Water

WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) A professor and a team of students at Wheeling Jesuit University have advice for West Virginians worried that natural gas drilling in the Marcellus shale field could hurt their water supplies.

A professor and a team of students at Wheeling Jesuit University have advice for West Virginians worried that natural gas drilling in the Marcellus shale field could hurt their water supplies.

Biology professor Ben Stout tells West Virginia Public Broadcasting that people should test their water daily with a conductivity pen they can buy online for $80 to $150. It measures the ability of dissolved materials to conduct electricity.

A kit from a federally certified lab can create a baseline for water quality by identifying those materials. He says people then must keep detailed records about conductivity, color, taste and odor.

Companies are rushing to tap the deposits underlying West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio.

Meanwhile, legislators are struggling with how to regulate the water-intensive hydraulic fracturing technologies the wells require.

The city of Lewisburg (Greenbrier County), WV, population 3,624 has banned “any further drilling” in the city limits with respect to the Marcellus Shale. Lewisburg City Mayor John Manchester said Tuesday the city council passed two things concerning drilling from Marcellus Shale. The city of Lewisburg has banned any further drilling from Marcellus Shale into…

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There will be a press conference held at the Capital in Charleston tomorrow at 1:00 pm.   The goal is to have a VERY large crowd to request that the Governor revisit the Marcellus Shale Issue.   Anyone who can possibly attend, please go!    It will be held in the Government Organization Committee Room on the House of Delegates side of  the Rotunda.   Go to the front desk for directions.   This might be a last chance to put pressure on the Governor for regulations.   Without regulations, we should have a moratorium!    It is very sad that the legislators  were unable to agree on anything.   Please attend and let your voice be heard!!  Also, please pass this message along to anyone and everyone you know who cares about protecting West Virginia!!!

No new regulations were passed!  Everyone from the top of the federal government down to state leaders, regional and local public officers all AGREE – new regulations are needed…are NECESSARY to protect our land and water from this massive Marchellus Shale boom.

Read more below, from Chuck Wyrostok.

After 60 days, legislators failed to pass legislation to regulate Marcellus Shale drilling. It’s time to call on Acting Governor Tomblin to stop issuing new drilling permits until the industry is properly regulated. We do not believe that the DEP should be issuing more new permits than it can review, inspect and enforce. Our drilling laws have not been updeated in nearly 40 years. There are only 17 inspectors for 59,000 active gas wells. Also there are 6,000 inactive conventional wells out there now that need to be plugged before the well owners go out of business. We have had at least three major well fires and explosions in the past 18 months. The current system isn’t working! We need a special session to address the environmental and other concerns related to Marcellus Shale and other gas well drilling.

Please call, e-mail or write Acting Governor Tomblin and send a copy to Acting Senate President Kessler and House Speaker Thompson saying:

Dear Governor Tomblin:

I am deeply disappointed that the Legislature was unable to reach any agreement on legislation to regulate Marcellus Shale gas drilling. It is critical that you stop issuing new permits until regulations are in place to protect property owners and the enviromment and to ensure proper enforcement and inspector staffing. It is unacceptable that large numbers of West Virginians asking for protection from destructive gas drilling that is happening all over the state were not heard during the 2011 Legislative Session. Please call a special session to address environmental and other concerns related to Marcellus Shale and other gas well drilling.

You can contact Governor Tomblin at:

Phone: (304) 558-2000 or (888) 438-2731 (toll-free) E-Mail: governor@wv.gov

OR

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin State Capitol, Building 1 1900 Kanawha Blvd East Charleston, WV 25305

You can contact Senate President Kessler at:

Phone: (304) 357-7801 E-Mail: jeff.kessler@wvsenate.gov

OR

Senator Jeff Kessler Room 227M, Building 1 State Capitol Complex Charleston, WV 25305

You can contact House Speaker Rick Thompson at:

Phone: (304) 340-3210 E-mail: Speaker.Thompson@frontier.com

OR

Delegate Rick Thompson Room 228M, Building 1 State Capitol Complex Charleston, WV 25305 ————————————————————————— Chuck Wyrostok Sierra Club Outreach Organizer Toll free 877 252 0257 E: outreach@marcellus-wv.com www.marcellus-wv.com