W.Va. Regulators Struggle to Handle Gas Well Drilling: ; Official Says 18 People Cannot Keep Up with Increased Operations

Summary

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MORGANTOWN - The number of natural gas wells being permitted in West Virginia's portion of the vast Marcellus shale field is growing faster than the Department of Environmental Protection's ability to keep pace, Secretary Randy Huffman said.

While the number of permits issued for unconventional drilling operations more than tripled between 2007 and 2009, the number of inspectors increased by only one, DEP records show. Four more inspectors are on the payroll this year, but Huffman acknowledges 18 people are not enough to handle not only more than 1,000 new Marcellus wells, but also tens of thousands of traditional, shallow gas wells.

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Extract

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W.Va. Regulators Struggle to Handle Gas Well Drilling: ; Official Says 18 People Cannot Keep Up with Increased Operations

"We simply do not have the number of people necessary to do the job," Huffman said in an interview with The Associated Press. "It's easy to issue a permit. What I think we're doing is issuing permits faster than we have the ab...

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