April 30, 2012

Community Meeting on Marcellus Shale Drilling ~ May 1 at Doddridge County Park

Have questions about Marcellus drilling? Come to the Community Meeting Tuesday, May 1 at 6PM at Doddridge County Park.

John King of the WV Department of Environmental Protection will give a presentation on the new horizontal drilling regulations and how communities can help protect the environment. Discussion following the presentation.

Hosted by the Doddridge County Watershed Association. For more information call (304) 873-3764.

Directions: Take Rt. 50 to Snowbird Road exit (2-3 miles east of West Union).  (There is a sign for the park and a Shell gas station at the exit. You can only turn one way onto Snowbird Road.) Follow Snowbird Road to the park on the right at a sharp curve (Approximately 1 mile).

WV Sierra Club Offers Citizen Gas Well Workshop

This is a workshop for citizen volunteers to become gas well watchers. Goodness knows, there are enough of them to watch - thousands, as old as early 20th century or as new as now. This project will apply to any completed gas well - Marcellus, or not.

Working with George Monk and Molly Schaffnit, the West Virginia Sierra Club has developed a common-sense online experience suitable for all. The workshop will be organized into three sessions. Each session will include George and Molly's YouTube videos, as well as text items and other resources. Workshop participants will be able to view and read the material on a flexible schedule. Each session will be followed up by a free conference call for participant discussion and questions-and-answers with project leaders. Conference calls are free to callers, and there are two date/time options for the conference call for each session.

Most of the training is simple and observational. The training will show what to look for, how to "see" a well site, and so on. There is one element that involves an actual scientific test, using materials similar to litmus paper. That session shows clearly how-to-do-it. And workshop organizers provide the necessary testing materials to participants at no cost.

Once volunteers register for the workshop, they will receive the link to the project website, where all necessary information will be available. In addition, participants will receive the call-in number and code for all the conference calls.

In case a person is interested but unable to access YouTube videos, provide alternatives suitable for slower connections will be provided.

It's springtime - just in time for the outdoor well-watching season!

To register for the workshop, please send an email to jimscon@gmail.com and put "gas well workshop" in the subject line.

For more information contact: Chuck Wyrostok, Sierra Club Outreach Organizer at 877-252-0257 or outreach@marcellus-wv.com.