LEWISBURG — Often agreeing with each other and many times speaking passionately about the issues before them, local legislators met with constituents Thursday evening and answered questions about everything from traffic congestion to gas drilling regulations.

Organized by the Greater Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce, the legislative forum, staged in the auditorium at New River Community and Technical College, attracted more than 75 people.

Several of the questions posed to the four legislators in attendance dealt with concerns over the burgeoning drilling in the Marcellus shale formation that runs underneath much of the state. The issue is of particular interest in the Greenbrier Valley, due to the prevalence of underlying karst topography — caves and fissures that run through the limestone under southern Pocahontas, eastern Greenbrier and northern Monroe counties.

While he said he was “not satisfied with lots of parts” of the Marcellus legislation that eventually won passage, Sen. Ron Miller, D-Greenbrier, said at least a first step toward regulating the drilling industry has now been taken.

“I am not happy, but we are pleased that we got something passed,” he said. “It’s going to take little chunks at a time. We have a long way to go.”

Sen. William Laird, D-Fayette, agreed with Miller, saying, “This constituted a necessary first step.”

One of the important features of the new law is raising fees on oil and gas wells — from $400 to $10,000 on a single well, according to Delegate Ray Canterbury, R-Greenbrier. Those fees will allow the state Department of Environmental Protection to hire an additional 17 inspectors to enforce regulations.

This area’s legislators managed to have language added to the bill requiring the DEP to promulgate separate drilling rules for karst regions, Miller noted.

In response to another set of questions — these dealing with what measures are being taken to address the near-gridlock on U.S. Route 219 in the Lewisburg/Fairlea area — Delegate Tom Campbell, D-Greenbrier, said he hopes to gain some traction in 2012 on the issue that Greenbrier countians have debated for the past 20 years.

“Most people are (now) saying we have a problem,” he commented, saying that was not always the case.

Campbell said he is trying to set up a meeting between Greenbrier County leaders and Division of Highways officials early in the upcoming legislative session. He said he thinks he can bring everyone to the table at this point, in part thanks to the well-documented traffic snarls that have caused headaches for both residents and the many visitors drawn to the area by the State Fair of West Virginia and the Greenbrier Classic PGA event.

Miller said he believes if Greenbrier County can get its road situation fixed, this region is on the brink of “something great” in terms of economic development.

Another lengthy discussion at the forum focused on the nation’s educational system, which all of the lawmakers agreed is in trouble.

Campbell said, “It’s not just West Virginia, but it’s the United States — by our actions, we don’t value education.”

Solving such a basic problem with people’s attitudes will take not just legislation, but broad public participation, he said. Having announced earlier in the day he would not seek re-election to the House of Delegates next year, Campbell said he hopes to continue to work on educational issues as a private citizen.

— E-mail: talvey@register-herald.com