The Morgantown Dominion Post on Sunday, May 22nd had a front page article on “Expert touts drilling’s merits”, a page 3 article on the Wellsburg moratorium on drilling, an editorial on the growing public protest activity in Morgantown and a letter to the editor about Chesapeake Energy. The “expert” is a Professor in Geology and Geography, Tim Carr, who believes that any spills of fluids from drilling near the Morgantown Industrial Park will be diluted by the current if they reach the River. The editorial indicates that the process of granting the drilling permits is unacceptable, as seen in the summary below:
“We the people finally showed up last week. More than 100 people rallied at the Monongalia County Courthouse against several Marcellus shale wells near the Monongahela River. By all accounts it was the first significant public protest against the booming Marcellus shale drilling operations spreading across northern West Virginia. Another protest at Morgantown’s City Hall preceded the courthouse rally. At least 20 people spoke out against the wells at a recent city council meeting. The wells are located about 1,500 feet from the greater Morgantown area’s drinking water intake site, near the treatment plant.”
“We have no evidence that Northeast Natural Energy isn’t up to the job of operating these wells safely. However, aside from the protesters, many members of this community — including this newspaper — are shocked that a site so near our community’s water intake was even considered by this company, let alone approved by state regulators. The process in which this happened is unacceptable.”
“We call on all West Virginians to not forget legislators who, earlier this year, impeded attempts to pass a bill to alter this process. If the only recourse the public has to protect its drinking water is to stand upon our First Amendment rights — to assemble, to petition, to speak out and report on these wells — then so be it. We urge the public — students, property owners, environmentalists and everyone else — to keep protesting these wells and this industry until regulations are on the books and inspectors are in the field to enforce them.”
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