This article originally provided by The Charleston Gazette

July 21, 2011

Marcellus: Another consideration

Residents in Colorado and New Mexico found 22 toxic chemicals in the air near oil and gas drilling operations there. Possible air pollution is yet another concern as West Virginia gears up to drill for gas deep in Marcellus Shale.

The chemicals found included four known carcinogens, and the amounts ranged from three to 3,000 times levels considered safe, according to a report by Global Community Monitor. The California-based group helps communities use environmental monitoring tools to track and understand fossil fuel pollution.

Many West Virginians are understandably pleased by the prospect of a vast new source of profitable fuel and employment -- if those predictions are realistic. The New York Times suggests the Marcellus buildup is overblown. Gas companies advertise that the development will be great for hotels and restaurants, but stay quiet about jobs, since most of their workers won't live in the Mountain State.

Lessons of the past should not be ignored. Previously, industries eagerly drilled, mined and blasted with little concern for side-effects. West Virginia is still cleaning up, recovering from and suffering the damage to wildlife, air, water and soil.

Residents around America, including West Virginia, have complained about air quality near drilling sites, the report says.

State residents gathered at the Capitol last week to spotlight concerns and unanswered questions about the process of fracturing deep layers of rock, injecting water and pumping out gas. Where will the wastewater go and what will be in it? Who will monitor and ensure safety? What about the noise? What will happen when tons of water is hauled over local roads?

The public is playing catch-up as usual, apparently with varying degrees of interest.

The federal Clean Air Act allows drilling companies to skip public protections, although the U.S. EPA is working on new regulations to control air pollution from natural gas development, and Congress is debating the Bringing Reductions to Energies Airborne Toxic Health Effects Act.

In West Virginia, the state Environmental Council ranks air quality regulation at drilling sites as a top priority. Those gathered at the Capitol wanted a moratorium on new Marcellus drilling until the state catches up with its own rules.

Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, acting as governor, seemed content to let the issue slide after the Legislature dropped it this year, until Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Maloney started making noise. Maloney said rules are needed to ensure industry's future investment.

Tomblin said state regulators would write emergency rules to cover some issues related to Marcellus drilling, such as letting the public know what chemicals are added to water pumped underground and making sure fluids are not dumped in public water systems.

Of course, before announcing this effort, Tomblin criticized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for trying to protect the environment. He was rewarded with warm applause, which just about sums up the half-hearted, last-minute approach to environmental regulation by most West Virginia leaders.