Industry Association Promotes Natural Gas Drilling in Morgantown

Independent Oil and Gas Association leaders are traveling across the state to highlight the positive aspects of Marcellus Shale drilling.

The State Journal
30 March 2011
By Stacy Moniot

MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia lawmakers couldn't agree on new regulations for the natural gas industry in the 2011 legislative session, and the debate about the future of the Marcellus Shale continues.

The Department of Environmental Protection shut down a Harrison county drilling site Tuesday, and cited because drilling mud was found in Indian Run, a near-by creek.

Incidents like that and the bleak future of any new legislation regulating the industry prompted the city of Morgantown to debate a resolution supporting a total stop to Marcellus Shale drilling in the state.

The Independent Oil and Gas Association supports the growing natural gas industry for its impact on the West Virginia economy in jobs and tax revenue and its leaders are speaking out to the public about the industry’s positive characteristics.

“We're supportive of reasonable regulations to continue to grow the tax base, to continue to grow and make these 7,000 projected jobs come to fruition,” said IOGA President Mike McCown, “but it needs to be reasonable so that we can grow this industry like we want to.”

McCown said Morgantown would only hurt itself by supporting a moratorium, and should make sure they have all the information before reaching a final decision.

“I would urge them that before they react, and be reactionary, and base their decision off of allegations and maybe false information, to at least get the facts, and they’ve got excellent resources here. There's a petroleum engineering department here that's excellent,” McCown said, referring to West Virginia University.

There are no plans for the legislature to take up the regulations of Marcellus Shale drilling, in a special session this summer, and McCowan supports that. He said the IOGA will continue to work with the Department of Environmental Protection to create regulations without making new laws.