A joint Senate-House select committee appointed to study Marcellus Shale regulation will hold its first meeting July 12.

The Joint Committee on Government and Finance authorized the appointment of the committee during June interim meetings. Acting Senate President Jeff Kessler named Senator Douglas Facemire (D-Braxton) chair of the committee.

“Drilling in the Marcellus Shale natural gas field is an extremely important issue for West Virginia and its residents,” says Facemire. “I’m pleased to begin a dialogue between both chambers and look forward to working with my colleagues in addressing this issue to effectively move it forward.”

The Senate passed a bill last year addressing environmental regulations and other issues related to Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling; however, the Legislature ran out of time before reaching a consensus with the House of Delegates.

Other members of the select committee are Corey Palumbo (D-Kanawha), Herb Snyder (D-Jefferson), Orphy Klempa (D-Ohio), and Karen Facemyer (R-Jackson).

The select interim committee is made up of five Senate and five House members. The meeting will be held in Senate Judiciary Committee room 208 at 6 p.m.

Relatedly, Kessler has said he believes West Virginia should follow Texas’ lead and require gas drillers to disclose the chemicals they use to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale.

Acting President Kessler is a strong proponent of the natural gas industry; however, he believes drilling needs to be done responsibly while protecting the environment. Currently, drillers are exempt from reporting the chemicals used in “fracking” under the Clean Water Act.

“People have the right to know what is being put in the ground and potentially in the water,” says Kessler. “I’m not asking companies to disclose anything proprietary about the exact amount or makeup, just the ingredients.”

Acting President Kessler adds that in order for fracking to be done safely, West Virginia needs to have an adequate number of inspectors and there should be water source monitoring performed before, during, and after the fracking process.

Texas recently moved forward with its own initiative to regulate hydraulic fracturing and require gas drillers to publicly disclose the chemicals used in the process.

Hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) is a process which involves the high-pressure injection of a mixture of water, sand, and chemical additives into rock formations deep underground. The process, which is being used to tap into large reserves of natural gas around the country, opens fissures in the rock to stimulate the release of oil and gas.