WV State Capitol, Charleston
WV Surface Owners’ Rights Organization
Surface Owners’ News – Winter 2017
Dear SORO Members and Friends,
We know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from us. As the 2017 legislative session gets underway, we wanted to let you know what we’ve been up to and what we’ll be focusing on for the next 60 days.
The annual Sixty Day Legislative Session starts today (February 8th) and ends on Saturday, April 8th and usually goes on to midnight on that date.
We recently updated our website and have switched to a new email system to help us communicate with our members more effectively. We hope you approve. Please reply with comments or feedback.
Thanks for your continued support! Julie Archer, SORO, Charleston, WV
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WV-SORO 2017 Legislative Priorities
WV-SORO will again be pushing for legislation to have the property rights of surface owners recognized and respected, to increase their chances of owning some of the minerals under them, and to deal with orphaned wells and other environmental problems. We will also be actively opposing legislation the industry introduces (out of its sense of entitlement) that will harm the interests of surface owners.
Tagged: Abandoned wells, Fence-line monitoring, Land re-union, Orphaned wells, Pollution
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Zombie Bills? Bad Bills to Aid Drillers Could Be Back in 2017
Several bad bills that help oil and gas drillers at the expense of West Virginia landowners could be back during the 2017 legislative session. These include efforts to take away citizens ability to bring nuisance suits, give pipeline companies the right to survey people’s land without their permission, and one-sided forced pooling bills (AKA joint development).
Tagged: Eminent domain, Nuisance suits, Pipelines, Pooling
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In Court: WV-SORO Litigation Update
Here is a brief update on some court cases we’ve been involved in or monitoring that affect West Virginia surface owners. Because one-third of WV-SORO members also own an interest in their underlying minerals, so we are including updates on cases that affect some mineral owners.
Tagged: Coal bed methane, Eminent domain, Leasing, Minerals-Royalties, Partition suits, Pipelines
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Court Approves Drilling Waste Settlement with EPA
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia formally approved a consent decree between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a coalition of community and environmental organizations. which requires the agency to review and, if necessary, revise its rules for the disposal and handling of dangerous and harmful oil and gas wastes, such as those that result from drilling and fracking.
Tagged: Drillilng waste, EPA, Fracking, Pollution
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West Virginia Surface Owners’ Rights Organization
1500 Dixie Street, Charleston, West Virginia 25311
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2017 Sixty Day Legislative Calendar
Opening Day – January 11, 2017: Assemble to organize by election of officers and open and publish election returns. (WV Const. Art. VI, §18)
First Day – February 8, 2017: First day of session. (WV Const. Art. VI, §18)
Twentieth Day – February 27, 2017: Submission of Legislative Rule-Making Review bills due. (WV Code §29A-3-12)
Forty-first Day – March 20, 2017: Last day to introduce bills in the Senate. Senate Rule 14 does not apply to originating or supplementary appropriation bills, and does not apply to Senate or House resolutions or concurrent resolutions.
Forty-second Day – March 21, 2017: Last day to introduce bills in the House. House Rule 91a does not apply to originating or supplementary appropriation bills, and does not apply to Senate or House resolutions or concurrent resolutions.
Forty-seventh Day – March 26, 2017: Bills due out of committees in house of origin to ensure three full days for readings.
Fiftieth Day – March 29, 2017: Last day to consider bill on third reading in house of origin. Does not include budget or supplementary appropriation bills. (Joint Rule 5, paragraph b)
Sixtieth Day – April 8, 2017: Adjournment at Midnight. (WV Const. Art. VI, §22)
Source: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bulletin_Board/calendar_2017.cfm
See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net
Dear Friends of WV,
Day two of the 2017 WV legislative session and the Governor and the Legislature have declared war against West Virginia’s environmental protection regulations and pledged allegiance to outside industry in the name of dollars and cents. Fear, name calling, and insidious attacks against West Virginia’s working class must not be tolerated!
The Governor likened the economic crisis facing West Virginia to the slow and unsteady gait of Frankenstein. “The real Frankenstein for 300,000 hard-working West Virginians across 9 counties was an uninspected, under-regulated aboveground storage tank,” said John Street, West Virginia Environmental Council Lobby Coordinator, in reference to the 2014 Freedom Industries storage tank disaster.
“We’re not going to break the law. We’re not going to do anything to damage the environment to the best of our abilities,” said Governor Justice during last night’s State of the State address while also giving the green light to the DEP to say yes to whatever industry demands. “No matter what the request may be, I think the first words out of their mouths should be we’re going to try with all in us to do what you want to do. So many times our regulatory agencies absolutely, no matter what on earth we try to do, they’re there to tell you ‘no,’” the governor said. “They’re not there to tell us ‘no.’ ”
The Governor’s false promises of an economic boom for the coal industry through less regulation and fear mongering must be met with truth and steady opposition, and we need your help to fight!
We cannot allow the Governor or the Legislature to further poison our water systems and the air we breathe by weakening the business friendly regulatory standards already in place. Join us in saying NO by attending E-Day at the Capitol on Monday, February 27th, and celebrate our environmental champions at the Awards Dinner that evening at the Woman’s Club of Charleston!
Together, we can stand strong!
Yours for the environment,
WV Environmental Council
P.S. Support our work? Donate today!
West Virginia Environmental Council | wvecouncil.org
2207 Washington St. E. | Charleston, WV 25324 | 304.414.0143
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