Dems Vow to Develop Gas
Newspapers, college host second event
Wheeling WV Intelligencer
29 April 2011
By Casey Junkins, Staff Writer
WHEELING - Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and some other gubernatorial
candidates now want a special legislative session to address West
Virginia's burgeoning natural gas industry.
Speaking during a Thursday forum with fellow Democrats seeking the
party's nomination for governor in the May 14 primary election, Tomblin
said the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection needs
more than its 17 current inspectors to properly regulate horizontal
drilling.
With roughly 100 people in attendance, the event was sponsored by The
Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register and West Virginia Northern
Community College. Fellow candidates, acting Senate President Jeffrey
Kessler of Marshall County, Speaker of the House of Delegates Rick
Thompson and State Treasurer John Perdue also expressed support
Thursday for an extra legislative session to deal with Marcellus Shale
drilling.
Other candidates speaking on this and other matters Thursday included
Secretary of State Natalie Tennant and South Charleston resident Arne
Moltis.
During the recent regular legislative session, the Senate passed a bill
that would have increased horizontal well drilling permit fees from
$650 to $5,000 and imposed several new regulations on natural gas
drillers to help provide new funding for the DEP. The bill did not pass
out of the House, however.
J. Michael Myer, executive editor of The Intelligencer and Wheeling
News-Register, served as moderator for the event. Among other
questions, he asked the six candidates:
§ What are your plans to help develop the
gas industry in West Virginia?
Each candidate spoke of the great economic opportunities presented by
the Marcellus Shale formation for natural gas development.
"I will call a special session of the (state) Legislature as soon as we
can get an agreement reached," Tomblin said.
Kessler said he, too, would call for a special session but noted he
would do so "immediately," emphasizing that the Senate passed the bill
that failed to gain approval in the House. Tennant also referred to a
"lack of leadership" as a reason for the bill's failure.
Despite his role as Speaker of the House, Thompson was not ready to
accept any blame on the matter. He quickly criticized Tomblin, saying
the acting governor did not show leadership on the issue to help the
bill pass in that chamber.
"None of the tough bills passed. A lack of leadership. That's what a
governor does. A governor steps in and says, 'We have a problem,'"
Thompson said, adding he would like to see more West Virginia workers
employed by gas drillers.
Perdue said, "God has blessed us with another gold mine," in reference
to Marcellus Shale. But he also noted, "We must protect our water
source. We must protect our roads and, most importantly, the
landowner's rights when drilling within the shale."
Tennant expressed disappointment in the Legislature, noting, "Folks in
Marshall and Ohio and Wetzel County are paying the price for
uncertainty and no regulation in place."
Moltis instead focused on the risks of groundwater contamination by
asking the crowd, "Does anyone want to light their tap water in the
kitchen?"
Myer also asked the six candidates:
§ Do you support or oppose federal
initiatives, both by the (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency and in
Congress, to place new limits on greenhouse gases, surface mining and
coal ash at power plants? If so, why? If not, can state government do
anything about them?
Most of the candidates said they believe federal officials are going
too far in trying to regulate West Virginia's environment. Kessler
stressed that between natural gas, coal and other resources, West
Virginia is in a good position.
"We still have, in this state, what the rest of the nation and the
world needs, and that's energy," he said.
Tomblin noted federal officials are costing the state "hundreds of
jobs" because of excessive environmental regulation. Thompson agreed
the EPA has "overreached" in its regulatory powers. Moltis said of the
EPA, "Keep them away from West Virginia."
"When we start affecting jobs and economic development, we have gone
too far," Perdue said on the matter.
Tennant emphasized, "We have to protect our people of West Virginia."
Myer later asked:
§ West Virginia relies on legalized
gambling for hundreds of millions of dollars a year, but that revenue
is dwindling. What should our policy toward gambling be in the future?
"We built our house on sinking sand - not solid rock," Perdue said of
reliance on gambling dollars. "We better start diversifying our economy
and build it on solid rock."
Tomblin, Thompson and Tennant agreed the state needs to work to
diversify its economy to rely less on gambling revenue. However,
Kessler and Moltis said they both still believe gambling has a bright
future in the state, with Kessler citing growth in the industry in the
Eastern Panhandle.
The general election for governor is set for Oct. 14, and whoever wins
will serve out an unexpired term for governor that ends in late January
2013. This year's victor can run for election to a full four-year term
in 2012 but cannot run for re-election in 2016.