"Public" Hearings Behind Closed Doors? No Way West Virginia!
North Mountain Shale, LLC is petitioning to make a quarry. If the permit is approved, the resulting quarry could seriously contaminate drinking water in Berkeley County, WV.

West Virginia's Department of Environmental Protection (WV DEP) held two “public” hearings on the proposed quarry. As we reported earlier, Brent Walls submitted comments at the first meeting, urging WV DEP to reject the permit due to significant risk of drinking water contamination. At the second meeting, people were asked to provide their personal information before being allowed to comment, and even then the comments had to be made behind closed doors and alone, with four cameras pointing at them.

A public hearing like this intimidates people and discourages the very people who make government work -- people who engage in public processes and hold government accountable. People must be free to make comments publicly, among their friends and neighbors, and in a setting free from intimidation.

It's important for more West Virginia residents to get involved. It's the only way to in keep North Mountain pristine and our drinking water clean. You can help by forwarding this message to ten of your friends and neighbors, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or to become involved, and going online to learn more about the quarry and sign up for updates. Please help us build this group, and save our drinking water at the same time!

Natural Gas Exploration Comes to the Valley
The search for natural gas has come to the Shenandoah Valley, and Shenandoah Riverkeeper Jeff Kelble is urging decision-makers to consider the dangers to our drinking water.

In Rockingham County, VA, Carrizo Oil and Gas LLC has applied for a special use permit to produce natural gas from the Marcellus Shale. The proposal includes the production technique called hydraulic fracking, which uses large amounts of water, sand and chemicals to release natural gas. In addition to land disturbance issues, fracking can contaminate ground and surface water and uses millions of gallons of water for each production well.

In most other Eastern States where significant Marcellus exploration is taking place, the states are scrambling to protect their waterways.  This has prompted West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York to begin updating and improving regulations specific to Marcellus Shale exploration and production. We are urging Virginia to also develop regulations specific to natural gas development in Marcellus Shale.

Rockingham County has put the permit on hold while they collect more information. In the meantime, many local citizens and citizen groups like Shenandoah Riverkeeper are voicing their concerns about drinking water contamination and other community impacts. The costs of fracking for natural gas may outweigh the benefits, with Rockingham County residents footing the bill. The West Virginia, western Maryland and Pennsylvania sections of the Potomac River watershed are also faced with pressures to "frack" for natural gas.

Chesapeake Bay Strategy Released
The new federal strategy for the Chesapeake region released last week focuses on protecting and restoring the environment in communities throughout the 64,000-square-mile watershed and in its thousands of streams, creeks and rivers. The strategy includes using regulations to restore clean water, implementing new conservation practices on 4 million acres of farms, conserving 2 million acres of undeveloped land and rebuilding oysters in 20 tributaries of the bay. To increase accountability, federal agencies will establish milestones every two years for actions to make progress toward measurable environmental goals. These will support and complement the states’ two-year milestones.

New Tool Let's You Track Local Rivers and Streams!
Now you can receive instant, customized updates about water conditions by subscribing to WaterAlert, a new service from the U.S. Geological Survey. Whether you are watching for floods, interested in recreational activities or concerned about the quality of water in your well, WaterAlert allows you to receive daily or hourly updates about current conditions in rivers, lakes and groundwater when they match conditions of concern to you. Check it out!