Possible recommendations to the state legislature concerning Marcellus Shale reg ulations, including threats to water, road systems

and the community impact of d rilling in Morgantown were discussed by city council Oct. 25. City manager Terrence Moore said his office had compiled a list of recommendatio ns on behalf of city council to present to the state legislature in the event a special meeting is introduced in the West Virginia legislature. The council discussed an informal administrative action to allow the city to pre sent its recommendations to Charleston legislators. "We see this as an opportunity to offer definitive recommendations as a city to the state legislature as to what recommended legislative requirements would be a ppropriate at this point in time," Moore said. Council proposed and passed a Marcellus Shale drilling ban to prevent fracking i n or near the city limits in June, but the ban was later overturned by the state . We are concerned about the future, said Duane Nichols, Mon Valley Clean Air Coalit ion board member. Is this an industrial zone, or is this a city? That is the ques tion at hand. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves the use of pressurized fluid to frac ture rock layers and extract petroleum, natural gas, or coal seam gas. "We've been working on this for a long time, and I think that Morgantown has def initely impacted Charleston," said Mayor JimManilla. Manillasaid zoning will be an effective tool in managing the obstacles posed byfra cking. The ban passed by the council in June was overturned in August by Monong alia Circuit Court Judge Susan Tucker. The oil and gas company Northeast Energy is currently allowed to drill within a mile of the city of Morgantown. This ordinance has no force in effect, said City Attorney Steve Fanok. We c annot enforce it. The council made the decision to include a list of recommendations to be imposed on horizontal drilling during a Committee of the Whole meeting held Oct . 25. On Nov. 1, the council voted 5-1 to table consideration of rescinding the ban in order to address community concerns posed by hydraulic fracturing. Im just not willing, until we see the results, to remove this, said Jenny S elin, fourth ward councilor. Hydraulic fracturing techniques use several different additives and chem icals when extracting natural gases, and coal bed methane production sites posse ss quality drinking water. The chemicals introduced by the fracking process have proven short-term effects on the water supply, and long-term effects may also e xist for underground water supplies. We feel council should seek out educated, professional advice on all aspe cts of horizontal drilling as a means of understanding what safety precautions a nd dangers are present and need to be addressed, said Phyllis Marshall, President of the Morgantown League of Women Voters. Specific recommendations forwarded by council include increased funding for envi ronmental damages, permit fees, comprehensive water quality monitoring, public n otice of at least 30 days for any well drilled within five miles of a natural wa ter source and closed fluid systems for both drilling andfrackingoperations. "When we re elected, one of our purposes is to protect the health and well-being of citizens,"Manillasaid. "That s going to be done with zoning." Zoning is the practice of land use planning, and the city council is permitted t o designate the permitted usage of city-controlled land. Zoning is commonly used to prevent new development from interfering with existing residential areas and businesses. Marshall said monitoring and testing is essential to maintaining a safe communit y, especially water safety testing. Testing for Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) lev els must be conducted regularly to ensure safe drinking water. Recent evidence has shown that if TDS levels are high, then water samples should be tested for barium and strontium, as these chemicals are almost always associa ted with spills and leaks from Marcellus shale drilling activities, Marshall said .

Manilla said zoning practices would be sufficient to protect the citizens of Mor gantown from the effects of Marcellus shale drilling. We will be able to protect Morgantown within its corporate limits with zoning, Man illa said. Zoning is the practice of land use planning to determine the designated uses of mapped zones within an incorporated area. Manilla said the proposed zoning will prevent drilling in established residential and business areas in Morgantown.