Please
pass this information along to your membership list. Thanks so
much.
Chuck
Wyrostok, Sierra Club
WV
============================================================
Public Hearing
Reminder with Clarksburg Hearing
Details
The Legislature's
Select Committee on Marcellus held its first public hearing last week in
Wheeling. More than 100 people
attended, and of the nearly 40 speakers, the majority supported stronger
regulations. You can read and watch coverage of the hearing here,
here
and here.
There are two more
opportunities to share your concerns in person and let legislators know what
you would like to see in a bill to regulate natural gas drilling in West Virginia.
Here are the details for this week's public hearings:
Monday, July 25 in Morgantown ~ 7:30PM at the West Virginia
University College of Law
Wednesday, July 27 in Clarksburg ~ 7:30PM
in the auditorium at Robert C.
Byrd High
School
The Select
Committee is specifically looking for language or issues to include in a
bill. WV Sierra Club’s Position Paper (attached) contains many of the
specific issues that need to be addressed. One approach might be for
each speaker to address one or two of the issues with other speakers
addressing the others. It is important to make sure that every one of
needs is supported publicly, if time allows. We don’t want to waste time
by needlessly duplicating statements.
These public hearings are scheduled to last only 90
minutes, and the amount of time allotted to individual speakers will be
allocated according to how many citizens want to speak. So get there
early and sign up.
It is important to continue asking
for a moratorium on Marcellus drilling until stringent rules are in place to
protect citizens and the environment. Enforcement of those rules by
sufficient DEP staff is equally essential.
If
you are unable to attend, please contact members of the select committee
today.
Senators:
Doug Facemire, D-Braxton,
Chair
douglas.facemire@wvsenate.gov
Home: 304 765 2231 Biz:
304 364 9903 Capitol: 304 357 7845
Karen Facemeyer
R-Jackson karen.facemyer@wvsenate.gov
Home: 304 372 2260 Biz:
304 428 1622 Capitol: 304 357 7855
Corey Polumbo
D-Kanawha
corey.palumbo@wvsenate.gov
Home: 304 746 7933 Biz:
304 347 1781 Capitol: 304 357 7880
Herb Snyder D-Jefferson
herb.snyder@wvsenate.gov
Home: 304 725 4529 Biz:
304 725 6174 Capitol: 304 357 7957
Orphy Klempa
D-Ohio
orphy.klempa@wvsenate.gov
Home: 304 242 9200 Biz:
304 233 2500 Capitol: 304 357 7918
Delegates:
Tim Manchin, D-Marion, Chair
tmanchin@manchin-aloi.com
Home: 304 363 5613 Biz: 304
367 1862 Capitol: 304 340 3166
Barbara Fleischauer
D-Monongalia barbaraf@wvhouse.gov
Home: NA Biz: 304 296
7035 Capitol: 304 340 3169
Tom Campbell,
D-Greenbrier tcampbell@grcs.com
Home: 304 793 3976 Biz: 304
793 3976 Capitol: 304 340 3280
Woody Ireland, R-Ritchie
woody.ireland@wvhouse.gov
Home: 304 349 2957 Biz:
NA Capitol 304 340 3195
Bill Anderson,
R-Wood bill.anderson@wvhouse.gov
Home: 304 375 7880 Biz:
NA Capitol 304 340 3168
Collectively, here are the email addresses for all
ten:
douglas.facemire@wvsenate.gov;
karen.facemyer@wvsenate.gov; corey.palumbo@wvsenate.gov;
herb.snyder@wvsenate.gov; orphy.klempa@wvsenate.gov; tmanchin@manchin-aloi.com;
barbaraf@wvhouse.gov; tcampbell@grcs.com; woody.ireland@wvhouse.gov;
bill.anderson@wvhouse.gov
You can also call
legislators’ Capitol offices Toll Free at
1-877-565-3447.
Here are the top needs for a meaningful Marcellus
bill:
1. Advance public notice of all stages in permitting
and drilling
2. Adequate permit fees and bonding
amounts
3. Protection of surface owners’ property and
rights
4. Water withdrawal and disposal monitoring and
permitting to protect streams and rivers
5. Enhance
inspection of casing/cementing as critical for groundwater
protection
6. Full protection of all water wells, with adequate
setbacks and testing
7. Increased funding for more inspectors to assure
safe practices
8. Reform method of certifying and selecting new gas
inspectors
9. Removal and proper disposal of drilling
pits
10. Disclosure of fracking fluid contents and safety
plans for accidents
11. Protect public lands: state parks, wildlife areas,
and state forests
Please see attachment for a
detailed “Essential Elements Needed for Regulation and Enforcement
of Marcellus and Other Gas
Wells”. Feel free to
print and distribute copies to legislators and concerned citizens.
Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin
has said publicly that he would call a Special Session to deal with a
Marcellus bill if the House and Senate could reach agreement on a bill.
Make sure your ideas are part of that agreement. Thank you for
taking action.