Outside of Moundsville (Marshall County), WV is a Hare Krishna community called New Vrindaban. Hare Krishna is an offshoot of Hinduism. According to Wikipedia, “International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was formed to spread the practice of bhakti yoga, in which those involved (bhaktas) dedicate their thoughts and actions towards pleasing the Supreme Lord, Krishna.” We’re not here to make fun of any particular religion, but believe it or not, there is a tie-in between Hare Krishna in New Vrindaban and the Marcellus Shale. The community there (a commune, actually) used to have the opinion (still does) that “gas drilling is exploitative, that it is unsustainable and ‘contributes to the culture of death and toxicity.’ Somehow signing bonuses and royalties helped them to see past their disdain. The Krishnas in Moundsville used to use horse and buggies to get around. Those days are long gone and fossil fuel-powered cars are here to stay. The Krishnas in New Vrindaban signed leases, a couple of times, over the past few years and they haven’t looked back. They like the money that “toxic” gas has brought to the commune…
