Morgantown City Council Passes Ban on Horizontal Drilling With Fracking

by Duane Nichols on June 22, 2011

At fifteen minutes until midnight on Tuesday, June 21st, the City Council of Morgantown approved the following motion (second reading) after three minor amendments were made to strengthen the language:

“An ordinance repealing Article 721 of the City of Morgantown’s Business and Taxation Code and replacing it with a new Article 721, which prohibits oil and gas drilling operations which involve horizontal drilling with fracturing or fracking within the City, and the operation of wells that utilize horizontal drilling with fracturing or fracking within one mile of the Morgantown City limits.” (The first reading was adopted on June 7, 2011.)  The vote was 6 in favor and 1 opposed.

One amendment added code sections to justify the ordinance, one added a definition for “horizontal drilling”, while the third changed the language from “horizontal drilling and/or fracturing” to “horizontal drilling with fracturing”.

This five hour meeting of City Council included interviews to fill a position on the Board of the Morgantown Utility Board, a public hearing on a smoking ban in public places as well as a public hearing on the horizontal drilling with fracking ban described above.

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Freedom Belle June 22, 2011 at 3:17 am

Thanks you city council for protecting our liberty and health and thanks for sending a strong message to the West Virginia legislature to STOP fracking until we TRULY have the science to back it.

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Charlie June 22, 2011 at 12:40 pm

Morgantown West Virginia has accomplished something that many said was impossible. They have banned fracking in the city limits! They have embark on a very difficult journey which will involve many lawyers and lots of money. I wonder if there is any way a fund could be set up to help them fight the oil companies? If everyone who has been hurt by gas and oil companies were to send $10, they could win their fight!
Maybe we the people could buy back America!

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