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.”