February 10, 2008

Contact Legislators & County Commissioners About the Surface Owners' Bill of Rights

We hope to see movement on the Surface Owners' Bill of Rights this week. HB 4286 & SB 482 are expected to be taken up by committees in both the House and Senate on Wednesday, February 13.  HB 4286 is before the House Industry & Labor/Economic Development & Small Business Committee.  SB 482 is in the Senate Energy, Industry and Mining Committee. We really need another push in the form of phone calls to your legislators asking them to strengthen the rights of landowners when they have wells drilled on their property.  If your legislator serves on one of these committees, it's especially critical they hear from you. Lists of committee members and their phone numbers are below. Legislators can also be contacted toll free by calling 1-877-565-3447.

In addition to contacting your legislators, please contact your county commissioners to voice your support for the Surface Owners' Bill of Rights.  We learned that the County Commissioners Association of WV (CCAWV) voted to oppose our bill.  We believe they got snookered by the oil & gas industry into opposing a bill that would benefits and protect property owners in their counties.  They need to hear from constituents asking them to represent their interests over those of the industry. A list of county commission presidents and their contact information can be found here. A complete list of commissioners for each county can be found in the CCAWV Directory beginning on page 20.

House Industry & Labor/Economic Development & Small Business Committee Members

Kenneth Tucker (D - Marshall) - (304) 340-3123
Dave Pethtel (D - Wetzel) - (304) 340-3158
Charlene Marshall (D - Monongalia) - (304) 340-3186
Richard Browning (D - Wyoming) - (304) 340-3113
Kelli Sobonya (R - Cabell) - (304) 340-3175
Bill Hamilton (R - Upshur) - (304) 340-3167
Craig P. Blair (R - Berkeley) - (304) 340-3122
Mitch Carmichael (R - Jackson) - (304) 340-3115
Thomas W. Campbell (D - Greenbrier) - (304) 340-3129
Kevin J. Craig (D - Cabell) - (304) 340-3350
Eustace Frederick (D - Mercer) - (304) 340-3164
Nancy Peoples Guthrie (D - Kanawha) - (304) 340-3156
William G. Hartman (D - Randolph) - (304) 340-3178
Melvin Kessler (D - Raleigh) - (304) 340-3163
Orphy Klempa (D - Ohio) - (304) 340-3378
Marshall Long (D - Mercer) - (304) 340-3120
Virginia Mahan (D - Summers) - (304) 340-3102
Dale Martin (D - Putnam) - (304) 340-3130
Corey L. Palumbo (D - Kanawha) - (304) 340-3119
Sharon Spencer (D - Kanawha) - (304) 340-3218
Dale Stephens (D - Cabell) - (304) 340-3395
Jack Yost (D - Brooke) - (304) 340-3392
Troy Andes (R - Putnam) - (304) 340-3121
Daryl Cowles (R - Morgan) - (304) 340-3177
Carol Miller (R - Cabell) - (304) 340-3176

Senate Energy, Industry & Mining Committee Members

Jon Blair Hunter (D - Monongalia) - (304) 357-7995
John Pat Fanning (D - McDowell) - (304) 357-7867
Mike Green (D - Raleigh) - (304) 357-7831
Walt Helmick (D - Pocahontas) - (304) 357-7980
Evan H. Jenkins (D - Cabell) - (304) 357-7956
Jeffrey V. Kessler (D - Marshall) - (304) 357-7880
Ron Stollings (D - Boone) - (304) 357-7939
Erik Wells (D - Kanawha) - (304) 357-7841
Frank Deem (R - Wood) - (304) 357-7970
Jesse O. Guills (R - Greenbrier) - (304) 357-7959
Vic Sprouse (R - Kanawha) - (304) 357-7854
Dave Sypolt (R - Preston) - (304) 357-7914

WV-SORO Day A Success  ~  Thank You!

On Wednesday, February 6, WV-SORO hosted its day at the legislature and we would like to thank everyone who came to the Capitol on a dreary rainy day, to make it a success. We kicked off the day with a morning press conference and we had good coverage with the Charleston Gazette, the Register-Herald, the State Journal, and WV Public Broadcasting all in attendance. (Click here to read more coverage.) Then the 30-40 citizen activists who came in from a dozen different counties fanned out to track down their representatives to lobby them on the Surface Owners' Bill of Rights. We extend a big thanks to all who traveled long distances to tell their tales of abuse by careless drilling outfits. Our efforts to “balance the scales” for surface owners were greatly enhanced by your presence this week. Special thanks go out to Nancy Powers, John Snyder, and Russ Richardson for sharing their stories with the media.    

If you couldn't attend WV-SORO Day but are interested in coming down to meet with your Senators and Delegates, please contact us. We would be thrilled to help you make your voice heard at the Capitol.