The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Editorials

March 1, 2011

Drilling down

The Register-Herald

BECKLEY — With the end of the regular legislative session less than two weeks away, state lawmakers in both chambers decided to strip down their respective Marcellus shale bills late last week in hopes of passing some type of legislation before they adjourn at midnight March 12.

Dozens of pages were stricken from the Senate and House versions last Thursday in what clearly appears to be a final effort to get something done.

Toughening existing drilling regulations, properly addressing property owners’ rights, making certain our water resources are protected and immediately authorizing the hiring of additional Department of Environmental Protection inspectors designated for gas and oil are musts in any final bill.

However, there is still a major concern as to whether lawmakers are going to be thorough enough.

After the House Judiciary panel sent out its streamlined bill, chairman Tim Miley expressed his disappointment to a Charleston Daily Mail reporter.

“It won’t be as comprehensive as hoped and originally planned,” Miley stated.

That’s the problem for us. This issue, along with OPEB, has the potential to make or break our state for the next several years.

Getting it as right as possible from the outset is critical. Being a work in progress is fine, but if the teeth aren’t there from the beginning, then major problems will surely follow.

West Virginia missed out before in the early stages of coal extraction. It can’t afford to make the same mistakes again for the benefit of the industry, the economy and the environment.

If lawmakers haven’t spent enough time on the issue, then there is a clear reason for them, when they come back the week following the regular session to address the budget, to also take up Marcellus legislation again.

Nobody likes for the legislators to be in a special session any longer than they have to, but in this instance, we believe they must.

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