Dear Editor: The prospect of "fracking" the Marcellus shale has both excited some and alarmed other citizens of the county. In areas where drilling has already happened many of the sites have produced no reports of ground water contamination. However, some of the drilling sites have polluted the drinking water of nearby homes. No one has good data on how often this happens. Does it happen at one in 10 sites? One in 20 sites? One in five sites? It is not known. And when this water pollution does happen the drilling industry has demonstrated that it does not want to take responsibility for it. The most valuable resource that I have is the reliable, unpolluted, fresh flow of water from the spring that sustains me and my family. This precious liquid flows out from under 2,000 acres that have been leased for gas drilling. Many of the citizens in the county share a similar circumstance. Even if the chance of losing my water is only one in 100, it is a very sobering issue.
History has shown that when industry is held to a higher standard of rules and safeguards, industry will step up and do a better job. So who is going to step up and hold the drilling industry to a higher standard? The federal government has dropped the ball (exclusion from the Clean Water Act). The state of West Virginia hasn't stepped up. That leaves us: the citizens of Pocahontas County. The body that speaks for us is our County Commission which has been grappling with this difficult issue.
What can a humble county commission do when the state and federal governments seem more interested in promoting this industry over the interests of the common man and woman? They need our help.
Sincerely,
Bob Must
Hillsboro