Jim Kotcon (DP-Oct. 23) is misrepresenting what Frich said at the candidate forum regarding regulating Marcellus shale, as he misrepresents himself in his letter. He didn't mention his affiliation with the Sierra Club as he slammed and misquoted Frich.
Frich stated that water withdrawals from West Virginia streams and rivers are unregulated and there needs to be oversight. She seemed concerned as she described water withdrawals for "fracking" as haphazard and spontaneous.
Frich recommended oversight of water withdrawals, chemicals coming out with the frac water, how the frac water is being treated and reused.
New technology makes deep horizontal drilling into Marcellus shale natural gas reserves a new frontier for energy independence for economic and national security. Many local land owners in Monongalia may soon become wealthy.
As Frich points out in HB 4001, which her opponent sponsored for two years in a row, will kill jobs in West Virginia. If coal mining, drilling, farming, construction and other activities must discharge total dissolved solids (IDS), at standards cleaner than drinking water, production costs will increase or stop, or pipes will send their discharge into a body of water with a greater flow that can assimilate the larger loads.
The unintended consequences will be that the Monongahela River, where Morgantown gets its drinking water, will have to absorb more IDS.
Frich is simply pointing out that the legislation her opponent has sponsored is irresponsible and we can strike a balance between jobs and the environment if we use our heads.
Pittsburgh