Delegate Bonnie Brown summed it up, “We are just giving them tax breaks before we even regulate the industry.”
In the final hours of the last day of the legislative session Saturday night, SB 424, which would have increased the allowed distance between a residence and a rig, required gas inspectors to be hired by the same process as other state inspectors, and protected public water supplies, was reordered on the calendar and there was simply not enough time to deal with it. Lawmakers did, however, have time to pass SB 465, providing tax incentives for the gas drilling industry. Included in this bill is a clause making drillers eligible for tax credits if they hire at least 75% of their work force from West Virginia.
Senator Mike Green, who opposed amendments added to SB 424 by the House of Delegates, chided the House for failing to act in a timely manner. His comments are recorded in the Senate Journal.
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The people who want to allow drilling close to homes and drinking water WILL NOT be living in any of those affected communities.