Op Ed: The Turning of the Political Tide – Politicians Come Out in Support of Marcellus Regulation

A true sign of the awareness that public sentiment has shifted in favor of drilling regulation is the witnessing of the public behavior of politicians.  Some who previously were opposed to regulation are now coming out in favor of drilling regulation.  Better late than never!   But it is almost humorous to see such nimble political circus.    Today in a Charleston Daily Mail story,  Bill Maloney, Republican candidate for governor, shared with the reporter that he is now in favor of drilling regulations.  Maloney, a driller by profession, stated pre-primary election that drilling was going to happen and that regulations were not needed.  Period. Now Maloney says, “”We need to come up with the exact rules and do it because there’s a lot of investment being held back right now.”  Maloney believes that the measures required as additional precautions in the Northeast Energy agreement with the WVDEP for the controversial Morgantown Marcellus wells should serve as a blueprint for the Legislature.

Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, Democratic candidate for governor,  has also taken a stance in favor of developing regulation.  This after previously opposing a moratorium, refusing to call a special session after the legislature failed to pass a bill, and relying on an understaffed WVDEP to enforce responsible drilling without any legislative clout.   On June 27th, MetroNews published an article outlining Tomblin’s plan to achieve Marcellus regulation. “Tomblin is expected to call a special session for early August to redraw district lines.  He’s hopeful that Marcellus Shale regulations — including rules on hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” — come out of that session. “My plans are now to call a special session of the Legislature for redistricting anyhow in the first part of August,” Tomblin said.  “I’ve discussed this with the speaker (Rick Thompson) and the president (Jeff Kessler), and they think they can get their work done.”

Acting Senate President Jeff Kessler (D-Marshall), a former gubernatorial candidate, also made news on July 1 in a story in the Wheeling paper The Intelligencer. “…… Kessler  is calling on West Virginia to follow Texas’ lead and require that gas drillers disclose the chemicals they use to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale.  Kessler said he is a strong proponent of the natural gas industry but believes drilling needs to be done responsibly while protecting the environment.”   Also,”Kessler said that for fracking to be done safely, West Virginia needs to have an adequate number of inspectors, and there should be water source monitoring performed before, during and after the fracking process.”  This position is consistent with Kessler’s previous statements.  Unlike Maloney and Tomblin, Kessler’s press statements are not a reverse of previous postures.

It is at least encouraging to see some key political players coming out in favor of law to protect the public health and the environment from the impacts of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.  This would not have happened without the activism of concerned citizens who have educated themselves about the risks of fracking and demanded action.  But the public needs to keep applying pressure through demonstrations such as the one planned on July 11th in Charleston, and by speaking with local legislators about the need for regulation.   We’re not out of the woods yet.