West Virginia Environmental Council Action Alert February 28, 2011 WVEC Alerts Archive Below are Two (2) Action Alerts:
HB 2878 – Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling and Water Quality Standards Rule (incl. 500 ppm TDS)
HB 2878: Please contact all of your representatives in the House of Delegates – urge 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