FAIRMONT — The Marcellus shale formations, which extend throughout the Eastern United States, remain a largely untapped reserve of natural gas. And that makes it a prime target for energy development.
But local legislators want a little regulation when it comes to the extraction of the natural resource. Drillers tap millions of gallons of water from streams and rivers so as to bore into the rock formations that trap the state’s abundant reserves of natural gas.
But co-author and one of 10 sponsors of the bill, Delegate Tim Manchin, D-Marion, said natural gas drillers do not have to account for the water or the chemicals used in the drilling process. That means that millions of gallons of this water/chemical combination that come back out after drilling need to be treated.
“I am worried that if this stuff doesn’t get treated properly, it could potentially poison the state’s waterways much like mine runoff did to Dunkard’s Creek,” he said. “Mine runoff of salts and solids caused an algae bloom that killed thousands of fish. I don’t want that to happen. This bill will protect our waterways.”
Considering the fact that at least 20 streams across the state have water-quality issues because of mine runoff, we think there needs to be structure in place to protect our state’s waterways from similar issues caused by gas well drilling. As of right now, there are no regulations in place that dictate what is put into the ground, taken out or how it is disposed of.
What Manchin and other legislators want, including co-sponsors House Majority Whip Mike Caputo and Delegate Linda Longstreth, is a way to limit the amount of water used in the drilling process so as to protect streams from drying up when there is less water available. It also requires reporting of how much water is withdrawn, the contents of frac (used) water and how it is disposed.
The West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association opposes the bill, though it passed soundly in the House by an 89-8 margin. After two readings on the Senate floor, we certainly hope legislators will consider the environmental implications of allowing companies free access to our waterways without any accountability.
How can we forget images of clumps of dead fish after a massive fish kill caused by golden algae just last fall? Many believe oil and gas water discharge contributed to the brackish, or salty, water that bred the algae. The fish that live in freshwater streams in West Virginia are not used to such algae, which typically can be found in coastal areas where the salty water of the ocean meets the fresh waters of the creeks. The algae produces toxins that killed thousands of fish within the creek.
Is that what we want in our own backyard? Don’t we owe it to ourselves, our children, our children’s children to protect the world we’re given?
Unfortunately, without restrictions and accountability in place, that’s what we could end up with. It only takes one company without any regard for the environment to ruin an entire stream.
Similar laws with even more environmental teeth already exist in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York. We urge the Senate to pass HB 4513 to ensure the responsible development of our natural resources.
