Frack Check WV » Clarksburg

Marcellus Shale Hearings Conclude in Clarksburg With Over 800 Attending

Duane Nichols — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:43:12 +0000

First there was Wheeling last week where 150 attended, then Monday in Morgantown there were 300, and last night in Clarksburg over 800 people attended the public hearing at the Robert C. Bird High School Auditorium; it was full. Tim Miley, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, joined four other Delegates on the panel to take testimony. Some 115 people spoke to the Committee. One observer said that about 65 private citizens presented significant concerns and 50 presented a gas industry point-of-view.

Some members of the gas industry limited their comments to specific topics, as everyone was limited to only 90 seconds of time. Jeff Wilson, a sub-contract employee for Chesapeake Energy, said that Chesapeake works hard to keep track of all the water used and wastewater generated at its well pads. Sample well logging records were displayed by Adam Maloney. Others described the cementing process for well casings, as well as the pipes, values and trucking services. Morgan McCutcheon said that the fracking chemicals are well understood.

Tom Bond said that property values are depreciating and that loans are becoming much more difficult because of the proximity of drilling operations. John Lozier said that the aggregate impacts of multiple wells needs to be given major consideration as new regulations are developed. Numerous speakers insisted that notice of drilling permit applications need to be published and that a public comment period needs to take place.

“Metals such as barium, chromium, zinc and arsenic are present in shale and are “mobilized” and ride to the surface with frack water,” as reported by Charles Lothes who lives on a 75 acre farm near Salem, WV. Strontium and uranium occur in the shale in addition to the dozens of chemicals added to frack water by the drillers. He said that “frack water should be treated only by facilities equipped to process it, thereby protecting our ground water.” He referenced Discover Magazine, May 2011, pp. 62 – 66.

David Thompson, a tree farmer in Harrison county, said that his property is a “disaster” as a result of the land disturbances from three wells that have been drilled there. Ken Westfall of Waste Management said that at least two landfills, S & S south of Clarksburg and the Meadowfill landfill near the Mall north of Clarksburg are qualified and permitted to accept the solid wastes from drilling operations.

The Select Committee is aiming to have a revised draft Bill for consideration in September, according to Delegate Tim Manchin, who chaired the hearings.

Select Marcellus Committee to Meet in Morgantown and Clarksburg

Duane Nichols — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:36:42 +0000

The Legislature’s Select Committee on Marcellus Shale held its first public hearing last week in Wheeling. Some 150 people attended, and of the nearly 40 speakers, the majority supported stronger regulations. You can read and watch coverage of that hearing here, here and here.

Concerns that have been raised include:

§ Air pollution from drilling sites and compressor stations.
§ Spills of tainted water and other fluids from well pads.
§ Damage to roads used by trucks carrying heavy drilling equipment.
§ Traffic safety because of the same trucks.
§ Rights of both mineral and surface property owners.

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, off University Avenue near the Medical Center

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 new regulation of the drilling industry. These public hearings are scheduled to last only 90 minutes, so sign-up sheets will be used and time for each speaker will likely be two minutes or less.

Friday Wrap-Up

Nicole Good — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 20:00:50 +0000

Department of Energy representatives visiting Washington & Jefferson College on Monday heard speakers from a raucous and divided crowd for more than four hours. The meeting was part of the strategy of Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s recently created subcommittee, whose responsibility is “to improve the safety of shale gas development” as part of the president’s “Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future.” Drilling opponents, who paid their own way, were outnumbered by drilling supporters, but Energy in Depth, a leading industry lobbying group, offered free meals, hotel rooms and airfare to pro-drilling landowners from northeastern Pennsylvania and New York.

The City Manager of Clarksburg, Martin Howe, wants to sell effluent water from the city’s wastewater treatment plant to gas drilling companies for the creation of frack water. Effluent water is wastewater from the city that has been treated, and is normally discharged into the river. Howe sees this as an opportunity to control withdrawals directly from the stream, and to reserve the city’s treated drinking water for its citizens. Mercuria Energy America Inc., the fifth-largest independent energy trading company in the world, approached Clarksburg with the effluent water-selling plan.

Residents of Hawkins Run Road in Monongalia county are more than frustrated with the DOH over the condition of their neglected road, which is so riddled with potholes that a gas line is exposed. The DOH has reportedly told residents that the road is lower on its priority list, which begs the question: Will the drilling industry be sufficiently reimbursing West Virginia for the extra damage that will be done to the roads?