Dems Vow to Develop Gas

Newspapers, college host second event

Wheeling WV  Intelligencer
29 April 2011
By Casey Junkins, Staff Writer

WHEELING - Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and some other gubernatorial candidates now want a special legislative session to address West Virginia's burgeoning natural gas industry.

Speaking during a Thursday forum with fellow Democrats seeking the party's nomination for governor in the May 14 primary election, Tomblin said the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection needs more than its 17 current inspectors to properly regulate horizontal drilling.

With roughly 100 people in attendance, the event was sponsored by The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register and West Virginia Northern Community College. Fellow candidates, acting Senate President Jeffrey Kessler of Marshall County, Speaker of the House of Delegates Rick Thompson and State Treasurer John Perdue also expressed support Thursday for an extra legislative session to deal with Marcellus Shale drilling.

Other candidates speaking on this and other matters Thursday included Secretary of State Natalie Tennant and South Charleston resident Arne Moltis.

During the recent regular legislative session, the Senate passed a bill that would have increased horizontal well drilling permit fees from $650 to $5,000 and imposed several new regulations on natural gas drillers to help provide new funding for the DEP. The bill did not pass out of the House, however.

J. Michael Myer, executive editor of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register, served as moderator for the event. Among other questions, he asked the six candidates:

§     What are your plans to help develop the gas industry in West Virginia?

Each candidate spoke of the great economic opportunities presented by the Marcellus Shale formation for natural gas development.

"I will call a special session of the (state) Legislature as soon as we can get an agreement reached," Tomblin said.

Kessler said he, too, would call for a special session but noted he would do so "immediately," emphasizing that the Senate passed the bill that failed to gain approval in the House. Tennant also referred to a "lack of leadership" as a reason for the bill's failure.

Despite his role as Speaker of the House, Thompson was not ready to accept any blame on the matter. He quickly criticized Tomblin, saying the acting governor did not show leadership on the issue to help the bill pass in that chamber.

"None of the tough bills passed. A lack of leadership. That's what a governor does. A governor steps in and says, 'We have a problem,'" Thompson said, adding he would like to see more West Virginia workers employed by gas drillers.

Perdue said, "God has blessed us with another gold mine," in reference to Marcellus Shale. But he also noted, "We must protect our water source. We must protect our roads and, most importantly, the landowner's rights when drilling within the shale."

Tennant expressed disappointment in the Legislature, noting, "Folks in Marshall and Ohio and Wetzel County are paying the price for uncertainty and no regulation in place."

Moltis instead focused on the risks of groundwater contamination by asking the crowd, "Does anyone want to light their tap water in the kitchen?"

Myer also asked the six candidates:

§     Do you support or oppose federal initiatives, both by the (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency and in Congress, to place new limits on greenhouse gases, surface mining and coal ash at power plants? If so, why? If not, can state government do anything about them?

Most of the candidates said they believe federal officials are going too far in trying to regulate West Virginia's environment. Kessler stressed that between natural gas, coal and other resources, West Virginia is in a good position.

"We still have, in this state, what the rest of the nation and the world needs, and that's energy," he said.

Tomblin noted federal officials are costing the state "hundreds of jobs" because of excessive environmental regulation. Thompson agreed the EPA has "overreached" in its regulatory powers. Moltis said of the EPA, "Keep them away from West Virginia."

"When we start affecting jobs and economic development, we have gone too far," Perdue said on the matter.

Tennant emphasized, "We have to protect our people of West Virginia."

Myer later asked:

§     West Virginia relies on legalized gambling for hundreds of millions of dollars a year, but that revenue is dwindling. What should our policy toward gambling be in the future?

"We built our house on sinking sand - not solid rock," Perdue said of reliance on gambling dollars. "We better start diversifying our economy and build it on solid rock."

Tomblin, Thompson and Tennant agreed the state needs to work to diversify its economy to rely less on gambling revenue. However, Kessler and Moltis said they both still believe gambling has a bright future in the state, with Kessler citing growth in the industry in the Eastern Panhandle.

The general election for governor is set for Oct. 14, and whoever wins will serve out an unexpired term for governor that ends in late January 2013. This year's victor can run for election to a full four-year term in 2012 but cannot run for re-election in 2016.