Drilling Heats Up in Monongalia County, WV
Shale gas drilling in Monongalia County, WV is heating up with two new well permits requested and more on the way:
Chesapeake Energy already has four wells that drill for the Marcellus Shale gas in Monongalia County and now they want to add two more.
One of the proposed sites sits just south of Goshen Road. The other sits just off of Interstate 79 near Carrol and Carrol Sawmill Road.
If they’re approved, they would bring the total number of approved Marcellus Shale drilling wells to 15 in the county.
Officials with the the Department of Environmental Protection say they haven’t started to review the applications for the new wells and says it could take up to 90 days for a final decision.
"There is a back log of permits right now," Tom Aluise with the DEP said. "We’re looking at the earliest these permits could be approved is December."
They say they expect more companies to apply for drilling permits soon.*
*WDTV Channel 5 News (Oct 19, 2011) – Additional Marcellus Shale Wells Proposed in Mon County
Golly…….and despite West Virginia’s 5% severance tax on natural gas extraction!!!! Pennsylvania should take note and invoke a similar severance tax before out taxpayers are screwed again. All along the MSC and industry supporters have been saying a “tax” will stifle further economic development and cost valuable jobs, but I guess that news didn’t reach the large companies ramping up their drilling efforts in West Virginia!!!