3rd Compendium Edition dated 10-15-2015

News Update from the WV Surface Owners Rights Organization

>>> From: Julie Archer, Project Manager, WV Surface Owners’ Rights Organization, 1500 Dixie Street, Charleston, WV 25311     Phone: (304) 346-5891  Web-Site: www.wvsoro.org

Public Meeting on Air Quality Permit for Proposed Water Treatment Facility in Doddridge Co.

The WV Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) will hold a public meeting this Thursday, November 5 from 6 PM to 8PM at the Greenwood Volunteer Fire Department, Greenwood, WV to provide information on permitting action related to Antero Resources’ proposed water treatment facility. The Sandstrom water treatment facility, which will accept and treat wastewater from Antero’s drilling operations, will be located south of US Route 50, at Greenwood in Doddridge County.

DAQ will accept comments public comments at the meeting. They will also accept written comments until 5 PM on Friday, November 20. Questions and written comments should be directed to:

Jerry Williams, P.E., WV DEP, Division of Air Quality, 601 57th Street, SE, Charleston, WV 25304.    Phone: (304) 926-0499 ext. 1223, FAX: (304) 926-0478, e-mail: jerry.williams@wv.gov

The draft permit and related documents are available at http://www.dep.wv.gov/daq/pages/nsrpermitsforreview.aspx.

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Free Screening of Short Film “Gaswork” in Buckhannon on Thursday, November 5th

On Thursday, November 5, at 7 PM, there will be a free showing of “Gaswork” at Lascaux MicroTheatre in Buckhannon, WV, located in Traders’ Alley behind Fat Tire Cycle on Main St. “Gaswork” is a new short film by Josh Fox, who wrote and directed the acclaimed fracking film “Gasland.” “Gaswork” describes dangerous working conditions in the oil and gas field. Numerous injuries and deaths result from poor safety practices on rigs all over the country. The oil and gas field has a higher death rate than all other industries.

“Gaswork” opens with the story of CJ Bevins, a Buckhannon native who died on an unsafe rig in New York, then goes on to investigate worker safety and chemical risk in the industry. Many workers who were interviewed have been asked to engage in unsafe practices, such as cleaning drill sites, transporting radioactive and carcinogenic chemicals, and steam cleaning the inside of condensate tanks which contain harmful chemicals, often without safety equipment.

A member of the Bevins family and a former gas worker will be present to speak about their experiences and answer questions after the showing.

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Citizen Hearings on Fracking Air Pollution & New EPA Rules, Nov. 7 & Nov. 9.

Oil and gas drilling has spread quickly across Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Many communities are living with wells, compressor stations, processing plants, and pipelines nearby—or soon could be. More than ever, people are asking whether this development affects air quality and their health.

Research and experience show that the answer is yes. Because operations release methane and toxic air pollutants, the Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed new standards to cut air emissions from the oil and gas industry. Learn more about these proposed rules and get answers to questions such as:

• What are the links between oil and gas facilities, pollution, and health?
• What pollutants come out of compressor stations and processing plants?
• How are air emissions measured, monitored, and reported?
• How will the new EPA rules help reduce pollution and protect my health?

The EPA is accepting comments from the public on its new emissions rules until November 17. At these public meetings, Earthworks and the Ohio Environmental Council will accept written statements and provide attendees with the opportunity to record verbal comments to be submitted to the EPA. They need to hear about your experiences and concerns! Please come, learn, and speak out!

Saturday, November 7, 10 am-noon — First United Methodist Church 123 West Church Street, Barnesville, OH 43713
Monday, November 9, 6:30-8:30 pm — Church of Christ—Christian Disciples 353 Moody Avenue, Carrollton, OH 44615

Speakers: Melanie Houston, Director of Water Policy & Environmental Health, Ohio Environmental Council; Nadia Steinzor, Eastern Program Coordinator, Earthworks; and representatives from Carroll Concerned Citizens and Concerned Barnesville Area Residents.
Have questions? Email:  OHMethane@gmail.com

Want more info? http://bit.ly/1RmE1Mo and http://bit.ly/1M61wFo

Can’t make it? Take action! http://theoec.org/campaign/epa-methane-rule

Report on Pipelines and Community Activities in West Virginia

From Elise Keaton, Greenbrier River Watershed Association, April 22, 2015

Community Meetings for You

Tuesday, April 28 (6-8 pm) – Preserve Monroe has their bi-monthly meeting every other Tuesday at the Union Senior Center in Union (Monroe County).

Thursday, April 30 (7-8:30 pm) -Preserve Greenbrier County will hold a community meeting in the Board Room at Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg (Greenbrier County).

Wednesday, May 20 (5:30 pm) – Summers County Residents Against the Pipeline (SCRAP) will hold their regular meeting at the corner Episcopal Church in Hinton (Summers County).

Sunday, June 14 (9am-10pm) – Preserve Monroe Fundraising Concert at Salt Sulphur Springs, WV (Monroe County).

Please call Elise at 304-207-1150 for more information about these community meetings.

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Join us this Saturday for the Great Greenbrier River Race!

The Greenbrier River Watershed Association is a sponsor of the Great Greenbrier River Race in Marlinton this Saturday, April 25th from 11am to 4pm. This is an annual event held the last Saturday in April each year. With great prizes, live music and good food,the event attracts a loyal following of racers and fans.The race is organized by the Greenbrier River Trail Association and monies raised are spent on trail improvements.

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Pipeline Meetings Upcoming

FERC sent a notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline project. As a part of this process, FERC will hold scoping meetings the first and second weeks of May. The schedule for the meetings is as follows:

Monday, May 4, 2015 – 7:00 pm, James Monroe High School – Lindside, WV

Tuesday, May 5, 2015 – 7:00 pm, Eastern Montgomery High School – Elliston, VA

Thursday, May 7, 2015 – 7:00 pm, Chatham High School – Chatham, VA 24531

Monday, May 11, 2015 – 7:00 pm, Robert C. Byrd Center – Pine Grove, WV

Tuesday, May 12, 2015 – 7:00 pm, West Virginia University Jackson’s Mill – Weston, WV

Wednesday, May 13, 2015 – 7:00 pm, Nicholas County High School – Summersville, WV

The last day that FERC will receive comments for the MVP is June 16, 2015.

The last day that FERC will receive comments for the ACP is April 28, 2015.

Please call Elise at 304-207-1150 for more information.

See also:  www.MAREproject.org

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Marcellus Academy June 27-28

Learn as much as you’ve ever wanted to know about Marcellus drilling and fracking at the Marcellus Academy. This year, participants may help work on developing a “Marcellus Campaign Plan.” The Academy will be held at the West Virginia Wesleyan College Campus. To register please contact: Jim Sconyers, jimscon@gmail.com 304-698-9628.

Interstate Pipelines Being Routed Thru WV & VA

From Greenbrier River Watershed Association, December 2, 2014

Mountain Valley Pipeline Project –

This is the most detailed document EQT/NextEra has provided about the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline project. It was posted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). It provides detailed maps, road crossings, locations and sizes of compressor stations along the route, details on construction, etc. It is more than 200 pages, but full of important information.

DRAFT RESOURCE REPORT #1 AND SUMMARY OF ALTERNATIVES: http://preservethenrv.com/MVP_draft_resource_report1_alternative_summary_FERC_filing_dec2014.pdf

Through December and January, the companies proposing the Mountain Valley Pipeline and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline will be hosting Open Houses. Here are links to their schedules:

>>> Mountain Valley Pipeline Open House Schedule —  http://mountainvalleypipeline.info/open-houses-2/
>>> Atlantic Coast Pipeline Open House Schedule –
https://www.dom.com/corporate/what-we-do/natural-gas/atlantic-coast-pipeline

Scroll down and click on “Open Houses and Public Meetings.” Many community members are interested in meeting before the Open Houses. For more information please contact:     elise@greenbrier.org Telephone: 304-647-4792
Upcoming Community Meetings

Monday, Dec. 8 (6 pm) VFW, Rainelle, WV (Greenbrier County) — Please join us at the Rainelle VFW (401 Main St. Rainelle, WV 25962) for a presentation by Elise Keaton with the Greenbrier River Watershed Association and lawyers from Appalachian Mountain Advocates who will answer questions related to landowner rights regarding the proposed Mountain Valley and Appalachian Connector Pipelines.

Wednesday, Dec. 10 (7 pm) Bent Mountain Center, Bent Mountain, VA – The Greenbrier River Watershed Association will present an update on the proposed Mountain Valley and Appalachian Connector Pipelines. Lawyers from Appalachian Mountain Advocates will also be there to discuss landowner rights and answer questions from concerned community members.

Thursday, Dec. 11 (6 pm) Camp Pioneer, Beverly, WV (Randolph County) — The Greenbrier River Watershed Association will join with the WV Sierra Club to present an update on the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Lawyers from Appalachian Mountain Advocates will also be there to discuss landowner rights and answer questions from concerned community members.

To get up-to-date information about scheduled meetings please visit www.mareproject.org

Update Report on Activities for Surface Owners in West Virginia

Submitted by Julie Archer, WV-SORO, September 13, 2014

Industry.Sponsored.Informational.Meetings [This Week and September 24]

The following industry sponsored informational meeting may be of interested to SORO members. Apologies for the short notice of this week’s meetings. I regret that I am unable to attend due to prior commitments and hope folks who go will report back on what they learn. If you hear of other meeting that we should alert our membership about please email details to julie@wvsoro.org. Thanks!

Tuesday, September 16 ~ “Consol Energy Public Meeting” at Jackson’s Mill, 6-8 PM

Representatives of Consol Energy are hosting the meeting to discuss the company’s oil and gas development plans for Lewis County and other proposed activities in the area.

Wednesday, September 17 & Wednesday, September 24 ~ Dominion Open Houses in Buckhannon & Durbin

Dominion has scheduled open houses for September 17 at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon (Upshur County), and September 24 at the Durbin Volunteer Fire Department (Pocahontas County) for people to learn more about its proposed 42-inch Atlantic Coast Pipeline (formerly called the Southeast Reliability Project). From 5 to 6 PM, landowners within the proposed study corridor are welcome at each open house, and then from 6:30 to 8:30 PM the general public and other landowners can attend. View proposed route maps here.

(Speaking of pipelines: WV-SORO has posed new and updated resources on the website. Keep reading for more details.)

WV-SORO Membership Meeting Follow Up

Thanks to everyone who sweating it out with us (literally) in Salem on Saturday, August 23 at the WV-SORO Membership Meeting. (Apologies for the lack of AC — we had not idea it wasn’t working until we arrived at Salem International University that morning!) It was great to see so many of you whom I have met over the years, and to finally meet those of you with whom I’d only emailed or spoken with over the phone.

Despite the lack of AC, overall the response we’ve gotten about the meeting has been positive and there is interested in SORO making it an annual event. Folks found the pipeline panel helpful and informative, but for many the best part was the opportunity to meet and talk with others with shared experiences and learn from each other. (See Tom Bond’s write up about the meeting for FrackCheckWV at /2014/08/25/wv-surface-owners-express-significant-concerns-at-meeting/.)

Since the meeting we have posted new and updated materials on pipelines and eminent domain on our website, including the updated version of Dave McMahon’s pipeline article/guide. You can access this information here — http://www.wvsoro.org/resources/advice/index.html#pipelines. If you prefer a hard copy of the guide, I’m happy to drop one in the mail to you — please reply to this email to request one.

We will be posting video of the pipeline panel and other presentations on our website soon, and will include more information about the meeting in our next news letter. In the meantime, we hope you will join at our next educational event, which is a follow up to last year’s Wellness & Water Conference. See details below.

Third Annual Wellness & Water Conference [October 3-4, 2014 in Charleston]

Please note: There is currently a glitch with registering online. If you are getting impatient to be registered call 304-522-0246 to register over the phone. If no one answers, leave a message with your name and number–speak clearly and slowly.

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Julie Archer, WV Surface Owners’ Rights Organization, 1500 Dixie Street, Charleston, WV 25311.  Phone: (304) 346-5891, FAX: (304) 346-8981;  julie@wvsoro.org

Web-site:  www.wvsoro.org

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