During the same gas drilling conference mentioned in the editorial above this one, an exceedingly disturbing report was made by a federal official.
Scott Hans, of the regulatory branch of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Pittsburgh, discussed moving soil in or near streams. He displayed a slide of a Wetzel County stream he said had been filled in at one point to create a road for a gas drilling operation.
We first reported that situation, and carried a picture of it, many months ago.
After his presentation, Hans said his office has heard of "more than one" similar problem in West Virginia.
As Hans noted, government agencies do not have to grant permits to anyone seeking merely to drive across a streambed. But when it is to be filled in, perhaps damaging the ecology of a large area, a federal permit is required. Such permission is granted only after the Corps of Engineers has reviewed plans to ensure serious and/or lasting damage will not result from the work.
The current Marcellus Shale drilling boom has been a boon for many residents of our area. But wrecking the environment was not supposed to be part of the deal.
There are rules to be followed - by anyone planning to disturb a stream, not just gas drillers - as Hans remarked. If there is evidence those regulations are being broken intentionally and regularly, not just by error, the Corps of Engineers should not hestitate to penalize those responsible.