Shhhh, It’s Almost Too Late!

Residents’ deadline on input for drilling regulations July 19

Morgantown Dominion Post
6 July 2010
Guest Commentary
By Barbara Grigg

West Virginia remains a wild frontier. Squeezed between the lures of natural beauty and extraction industries, quality of life and jobs, investors’ promises and inadvertent consequences, West Virginians have a long history of rolling over for the powers that be, many living elsewhere. Industrial titans know what to expect here, and plan accordingly.

The rusty shells of their deserted interests form part of our ambience. What can we do to move our communities beyond the grip of the past?

As you read, a July 19 deadline looms, one you’ve not heard about unless you read fine print in legal notices. The deadline is for West Virginians to tell the [state] Department of Environmental Protection whether they object to carcinogens and chemicals (fracking fluid) being forced hundreds of feet underground in our state in thousands of locations.

Whether they fear hydraulic fracturing well technology for natural gas — and its well-laid plans not going as expected — might experience unexpected difficulties or lazy workers or tight deadlines or illegal shortcuts, and inadvertently ruin our ground water and poison our drinking water supply — wells and local rivers.

Energy drilling provides some landowners with royalties they are entitled to, if previous owners did not in fact give away the farm in mineral rights.

In that case, current landowners may become victims of inadvertent consequences from past owners’ decisions.

In either case, neighbors far and wide have a vested interest in assuring such operations have a localized and benign influence on the common landscape.

I watched TRAIL’s [Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line] proposed path across Halleck Road with interest, living just two ridges south.

The same day The Dominion Post reported TRAIL’s route was diverted to Grafton Rt. B, another local newspaper heralded TRAIL’s new headquarters facility at the technology park. Victory for Halleck Road, inadvertent consequence for Marion County.

All spring, tower construction crews passed my property. I spoke often with them. They work for a Midwest company and travel the country installing these towers: So much for the “jobs” sales pitch.

Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Industry proceeds like a well-oiled machine, making decisions that profoundly affect us, here in more ways than one. If people prefer bread, circuses and leisure pursuits to paying attention to what’s going on around them, then they will suffer the consequences. Between now and July 19, take time to Google “Marcellus shale” for all the pro-frac-well sales pitches you care to hear.

Then visit a small group of your neighbors at West Virginia Surface Owners Rights Organization, wvsoro.org, for another side to the story.

Before July 19, visit wvdep.gov/WWE for details, click “contact us” at the bottom of page, and register your opinion.

Barbara Grigg is a retired postal worker, who lives in Marion County. This commentary should be considered another point of view and not necessarily the opinion or editorial policy of The Dominion Post.