State Needs to Tap Into Regulations

Credit advocacy groups for keeping Marcellus shale drilling on the radar

Morgantown Dominion Post
7 December 2010
Editorial

The League of Women Voters will sponsor a public meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday on the environmental impact of Marcellus shale drilling at the Aull Center next to the Morgantown Public Library on Spruce Street.

Lately, there hasn’t been any need to remind anyone denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.

Thanks to the Upper Monongahela River Association (UMRA) and others, many of us have accepted the challenge of Marcellus shale drilling.

And as a result of these grassroots organizations, this issue is about to flood the state Legislature’s regular session in January.

We are pleased that the UMRA and others are staying atop this form of drilling for natural gas in our state. This group’s concern has translated into advocacy for ensuring the industry does the right thing.

No one wants to deny the major and minor companies all competing for parcels to drill on. After all, aside from the creation of jobs, increased tax revenues and helping to invigorate local economies, this industry has the potential, like the proverbial rising tide, to raise everyone’s boat.

However, groups such as UMRA and this newspaper, will continue to urge the state and the federal goverment to ensure that protection of the environment and our roadways are the No. 1 priority. There is no reason to rush into this particular enterprise without the necessary regulations and oversight. That includes the necessary numbers of inspectors to keep up with the tens of thousands of working wells and the thousands of other permits in the approval process. Currently, there are fewer than 20 state inspectors to keep tabs on sites and to review applications. That number of inspectors is clearly inadequate and needs to be increased within the next year. If necessary, a surcharge on working wells should be imposed to pay for the additional inspectors. Such a surcharge will not only the benefit the state’s environment and residents, but also these companies’ profit margins. Downtime for wells as a result of accidents, violations and legal action is much more likely to be avoided with more regular inspections. There is no need for the Marcellus shale drilling industry to adopt a gold-rush mentality, instead of a businesslike approach to natural gas extraction. Our legislators and our state cannot afford to accept the status quo.