Given a minute a piece to tell members of the West Virginia Judiciary Committee what they think of the governor's Marcellus shale legislation, interested parties expressed a very diverse reaction to the bill.
Carol Warren of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition asked the Legislature for an early Christmas present, presenting a bag of things she wants put back into the bill before it is passed.
"No onsite waste burial, no variance for distance from occupied dwellings, the industry wants certainty and so do the citizens," Warren told lawmakers. "Require permits for water withdrawal. Give DEP the authority to with the Office of Air Quality, to monitor air emissions …"
Warren continued to outline a number of concern with the bill, many of which coincided with the concerns expressed earlier in the day by the West Virginia Environmental Council and the West Virginia Surface Rights Organization.
Allen Johnson, co-founder of Christians for the Mountains, used passages from the bible to support stronger environmental protections. Later, a clergy member would argue in favor of drilling.
Sen. Frank Deem addressed the House committee in favor of the jobs the bill would produce.
"I would just say one thing thank all of you environmentalists who are concerned about the environment for being here and working on this bill," Deem said. "… Just please consider the economic impact and the job impact that this legislation has."
More than 66 groups spoke to the bill with varied interests in the legislation. Each had about a minute to speak and alternated by those in favor and those not in favor of the bill.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2012 WorldNow and WVSTATE. All Rights Reserved.
