The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Today's Front Page

June 23, 2011

Campbell wants balance in Marcellus legislation

By Mannix Porterfield Register-Herald Reporter

Balancing a fledgling Marcellus shale industry promising a sky’s-the-limit potential and the need to keep West Virginia’s water supply clean is the key to striking a compromise bill, says Delegate Tom Campbell.

While Marcellus shale offers little, if any, direct benefit in his district, Campbell is eager for the select committee to get started.

And from all indications, the panel appears to want to hit the ground running.

Campbell said he was called early Wednesday by the House’s chairman, Delegate Tim Manchin, D-Harrison, to lay the groundwork for the committee’s work, less than 24 hours after Speaker Rick Thompson, D-Wayne, appointed the chamber’s five members.

“The key thing to me is to find the balance between the energy source and the great economic help it can be to our state and the water resources, which are a very important resource,” Campbell, D-Greenbrier, said.

“We’ve got to balance those two. I think we’ve got to have some reasonable regulations of the Marcellus industry.”

Campbell serves on the House Finance Committee, which worked on the bill briefly in last winter’s session.

But before the special panel gets down to business, Campbell plans to get up to speed on the industry and any new developments since lawmakers adjourned last March without enacting legislation.

Besides environmental concerns and economic considerations, Campbell said he feels the rights of landowners definitely need to come into play.

“Obviously, that’s very important in a state where West Virginians are proud property owners, so I think that has to be part of it as well,” Campbell said.

The delegate voiced optimism that the committee can produce a bill that is acceptable by the full House and Senate. Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is insisting on consensus before he tacks the Marcellus proposal on the agenda of any special session this summer.

“I thought we were pretty close during the session,” Campbell said. “I think there have been some changes since then.

“From what I’ve read, the Department of Environmental Protection is looking at things a little differently. Obviously, we’ve had a couple of months’ activity in the industry, so there might have to be some adjustments. I hope we can come to an agreement.”

Marcellus exploration is almost exclusively a venture in the Northern Panhandle and north-central counties, and Campbell said he understands the pools in Greenbrier are shallow and difficult to reach.

“So I don’t think that Marcellus will be the big play in Greenbrier that it is in the northern part of the state,” the lawmaker said.

With the Greenbrier River flowing through Pocahontas, Summers and Greenbrier counties, and some Marcellus potential in Summers, Campbell said there are some regional concerns.

“There are some common interests among the areas,” he said.

“I think all West Virginians are concerned about two things. There’s a great opportunity to supply the energy needs of the country for a long time. That’s going to be a great opportunity for us. But I think we need to get it right so we don’t ruin the environment while we’re doing it.”

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com

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