Posted: 13 Aug 2011 07:18 AM PDT

On August 12th, Circuit Judge Susan Tucker of Monongalia County overturned the fracking ban of the City of Morgantown, which extended one mile beyond the City limits, according to the Morgantown Dominion-Post. “The ordinance passed by the City of Morgantown,” she concluded, “is pre-empted by state legislation and is invalid.”

Northeast Natural Energy has already started two Marcellus gas wells in the Morgantown Industrial Park on behalf of Enrout Properties LLC, which owns the well pad surface and co-owns the mineral rights. Morgantown City Manager Terrence Moore said he is reviewing and discussing the ruling with city attorney Steve Fanok, in order to develop a response to the ruling.

At the July scheduling hearing, Tucker ordered the parties to prepare arguments to address her question: “Can a municipality adopt an ordinance that trumps WV-DEP rules?” Tucker now has ruled on that question; State code gives the Department of Environmental Protection (WV-DEP) sole discretion regarding the exploration, development, production, storage and recovery of oil and gas, she wrote. There is no exception to that carved out in the municipal home rule statute.

“Governmental entities are required to supplement and complement the efforts of the state by coordinating their programs with those of the state,” she wrote. Where there’s a conflict, the state Supreme Court has ruled, “the municipal ordinance must yield.” State regulations, she wrote, “do not provide any exception or latitude to permit the City of Morgantown to impose a complete ban on fracking or to regulate oil and gas development and production.”

The legal issues in the case, she claims, do not give her authority to consider environmental issues, which acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin addressed in the recent executive order to the WV-DEP. This executive order is to be put into effect this coming week, according to reliable sources.

WV Invests in Startup Offering Alternative to Cracker Plant

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 10:16 PM PDT

There has been much talk of bringing an ethane cracker plant to West Virginia. But the state is investing in an alternative technology via an investment of $250,000 by the West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust in Aither Chemicals, LLC. A traditional cracker plant requires an investment of approximately $1 billion or more. According to the press release by the WV Dept. of Commerce, “Aither uses an integrated process for creating chemical products derived from ethylene. Aither’s process is designed to work on a smaller scale with less start-up costs than traditional steam cracker.”

Leonard Dolhert, Chief Executive Officer of Aither, said the company’s immediate goal is to build an alliance of investors, of which the Jobs Investment Trust is key.

There was no information released regarding potential future investors in Aither.

“In Marcellus shale and the byproduct ethane gas, West Virginia has a natural resource with tremendous economic potential. Aither’s approach to convert ethane into petrochemicals will enhance our capability to develop this resource, retaining and creating jobs in this state” said Keith Burdette, chair of the Jobs Investment Trust and secretary of the state Commerce Department in a prepared statement.

Raw natural gas is composed of methane (70-90%) and natural gas liquids such as ethane, propane and butane.

Charleston Daily Mail story, 8-12-11

Monongalia County Judge Declares

Morgantown Fracking Ban Invalid