Summer 2015 Edition of Surface Owners’ News Available

Summer 2015 Edition of Surface Owners’ News Available

WV-SORO members should be receiving the Summer 2015 edition of our newsletter, Surface Owners’ News, in the mail soon.  For those who can’t wait you can download or read the newsletter here.

In this issue:

• 2015 legislative updates on forced pooling, Aboveground Storage Tank Act and more
• Information on new general permit for air emissions from oil & gas production facilities
• Litigation update — New surface use trespass suit filed, partition suits, nuisance suits and more
• Membership meeting, Water & Wellness conference recap
• Documentary on WV natural gas boom seeks support
• EPA finds drinking water vulnerable to fracking, plus other studies on problems with management of oil & gas drilling waste and lack of transparency regarding industry violations

WVU Extension Service Educational Programs on Understanding Unitization of Interests or “Forced Pooling”

What is pooling? Who benefits? What does it mean to be “forced”?
What was in House Bill 2688 (Providing for the unitization of interests in drilling units in connection with all horizontal oil or gas wells)? What are the concerns with Forced Pooling? What were the concerns with House Bill 2688? What and when will new legislation be proposed?

Presenters: Joshua Fershee, Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development and Professor of Law, WVU College of Law; Delegate Lynwood “Woody” Ireland (R-Ritchie, 07); *Delegate Pat McGeehan (R-Hancock, 01); and **Senator Mike Romano (D-Harrison, 12). Delegate McGeehan will attend the July 7 meeting only. Senator Romano will attend the July 8 meeting only.

July 7 – Blaskovich Community Center, 4453 National Road, Triadelphia, WV (Ohio County)
July 8 – Doddridge County Park, Snowbird Road (County Rt. 50/16), West Union, WV (Doddridge County)

Both programs start at 6:00 p.m.

For more information and directions, click here to download the flyer .

For questions, contact Georgette Plaugher, WVU Extension Service Natural Gas Team Coordinator at 304-329-1391 or via e-mail Georgy.Plaugher@mail.wvu.edu.

More information on forced pooling and SORO’s position can be found in the newsletter and on our website, www.wvsoro.org.

July 13: Not Your Grandparent’s Oil & Gas Industry, Meeting Two

About 200 folks showed up for a recent meeting hosted by our friends at the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC) titled “Not Your Grandparent’s Oil & Gas Industry.”

At that meeting, we heard from lawyers, including WV-SORO’s Dave McMahon and activists like Bill Hughes who have been dealing with shale-fracking issues in other parts of the state. Now OVEC is having a second meeting where folks can share, in a moderated discussion, stories of what is already happening in Wayne and surrounding counties.

Please plan to join us at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, July 13 at First Congregational UCC, 701 5th Ave, Huntington, WV.

WV-SORO will not have a speaking role at this meeting, but will have a representative present and available to help answer questions.