Business, Government Legal News from throughout WVW.Va. Senate passes Marcellus shale bill

The West Virginia Senate has passed a bill to regulate Marcellus shale drilling.

Senate Bill 4001 passed unanimously Dec. 13, with one person absent or not voting. 

The Senate suspended rules to hear the bill three times in one day before voting. The body also adopted several amendments to the original bill, which now heads to the House of Delegates for its consideration.

Most of the amendments were technical in nature, coming from errors the Senate staff noticed Monday.

But the Senate changed some language that concerned surface owners regarding surface rights holding more weight than mineral rights.

The Senate adjourned until 11 a.m. Wednesday.

To read more about amendments added in by the Senate and action taken so far in the special session, check out these links:

House Judiciary chairman previews Marcellus action

Governor's Marcellus legislation passes Judiciary with few tweaks

Citizens push for and against Governor's Marcellus bill