“After four days and only minor tweaks, Tomblin’s bill was approved 92-5 in the House and 33-0 in the Senate on Wednesday,” the Charleston Daily Mail reported. Mike Manypenny (D-Taylor) was one of the two Democrats who voted against the bill. Manypenny addressed the House, stating, “”This sacrifices our land, our water and our air for a few bucks from out-of-state multinational companies.”
The West Virginia Surface Owners Rights Organization, the West Virginia Sierra Club, and other enviro/public health groups believe that the bill is vastly inadequate.
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We need a ban on hydrofracking. Why pretend? This state’s DEP can’t regulate squat.
If lobbyists and organizers can’t pull off a ban on hydrofracking in WV then these environmental/public health organizations’ boards of directors need to find people with a vision that can! If that means firing every incompetent paid lobbyist in this state and country pushing for clean water, air and soil- so be it! Enough compromises already. Show some results!
I think the people that need to be fired are those elected reps who are clearly more responsive to industry campaign dollars than to the needs of their constituents. Somehow we need to shake the WV electorate out of their complacency.
BTW, many of the enviro/public health groups are nonprofits operating on slim to no budgets. The gas industry lobbyists in Charleston numbered around 40 at my last count, vs. a handful of the white hat guys.
From what I’m hearing, many of these organizations are taking money from politicians who accept money from the gas industry… and who voted for these weak regulations. Don’t see a conflict of interest here?
“Somehow we need to shake the WV electorate out of their complacency.”
Who is “we”? Why do “we” assert that people who do not support our entire agenda are “complacent”?
Frackcheck’s point of view was most definitely represented and, contrary to its laments, got its share of attention during the deliberations that preceeded the legislation.
I applaud the bill as the product of legislators who had to deal with competing interests as best they could.
Governor Tomblin’s leadership has been widely praised also and, in view of the last election results, I doubt extremists will have much luck defeating him or most of those in the legislature who worked with him to get the bill enacted