Senators Promote Safe Gas Drilling
Morgantown Dominion Post
1 January 2012
By David Beard
The Dominion Post contacted all five members of West Virginia’s
federal delegation in November for comments on the Common Cause
study, “Deep Drilling, Deep Pockets In Congress.”
The email included a link to the study, some excerpts and a list
of questions, including the member’s response to the report’s
allegations and the member’s position on the FRAC Act, which is
intended to close the Halliburton Loophole.
Three members responded: Representative Shelley Moore Capito, R,
and Sens. Joe Manchin and Jay Rockefeller, both D.
Republican Representative David McKinley’s office said it was
working on a reply but sent regrets for not providing one. Rep.
Nick Rahall’s office referred questions to the communications
office for the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure —
Rahall, a Democrat, is ranking member — which did not respond to
requests made following Christmas weekend.
Responses are verbatim, with typos corrected.
Capito spokeswoman Jamie Corley wrote in an email reply: “The West
Virginia Legislature recently held a special session where it
enacted a comprehensive regulatory framework for shale gas
exploration. Capito is supportive of the Legislature’s action
because the state government best knows the challenges faced by
this exciting opportunity. We’ve seen how excessive federal
regulation can hurt an industry and destroy jobs; look no further
than how the EPA has treated the coal industry in West Virginia.
The Congresswoman always has and always will vote for what’s best
for her constituents, not because of the influence of outside
interest groups. Of course, Capito believes contributions should
be transparent and disclosed publicly.”
Rockefeller issued a statement: “My view on the Marcellus Shale is
that West Virginia is home to abundant resources, and we should
put those resources to work in a safe and responsible way. I’ve
also been clear that I’ll only support safe, careful, and
responsible shale gas extraction. West Virginians deserve that
from us and our future depends on it.”
Manchin wrote the longest response: “I truly believe that the
Marcellus Shale has the potential to help us rebuild America if it
is developed in a safe and responsible way. We need to work
together to chart a commonsense path forward that strikes a
reasonable balance between the economy and our environment while
allowing us to produce energy right here in America and create
good-paying jobs for hard-working Americans. That being said, the
people of our state are concerned about how we can use our
resources in a balanced way that does not endanger the health of
our residents, and I believe those concerns need to be taken very
seriously.
“We need industry to work as a partner to our communities and
state by telling the public what they’re using when they drill. It
was not too long ago that a very wellknown company visited my
office to discuss the potential of Marcellus Shale, but would not
tell me the type of chemicals they planned to use in the ground or
make any kind of guarantee about the safety of these chemicals. I
told them: ‘You can’t expect West Virginians to trust you if you
won’t even tell them the God’s-honest truth about what you’re
putting in their land.’
“West Virginians will be the best partners you’ll ever have, and
will work with you to extract this resource and find real
solutions rather than create roadblocks. But when it comes to the
development of the Marcellus Shale, I believe in complete
transparency. We need to put our faith in companies that have
proven their reliability and responsibility.
“We also need a regulatory system in place that is driven by the
states with the federal government working as our partner, not an
adversary. I was so proud to bring the Senate Energy Committee to
West Virginia last month for a field hearing to examine just how
the state of West Virginia can best regulate Marcellus so that
development is safe and responsible. We need to know what the best
practices are when it comes to regulating and extracting Marcellus
— because I truly believe that the states should take the lead on
this issue and the federal government should be a partner, not an
obstacle.
“That is why I used my first-ever Senate field hearing as an
opportunity to bring together federal and state officials, along
with business and environmental leaders, to find commonsense ways
we can work together to harness the job-creating potential of
Marcellus and develop it responsibly. I’ve said before that
Marcellus truly could be a game-changer for our state, whether
it’s creating good-paying jobs, lowering our energy costs or
reducing our dependence on foreign oil.”