All the news that’s fit to holler!
4. The WV DEP. This is not a politician, of course, but I’ll call out the secretary who directs the department. By not taking part in the court actions against Jim Justice mines, it looks as if the WV DEP is responding to behind-the-scenes pressure. WV DEP Secretary Randy Huffman has already stated that he can’t do a good job of protecting people here in Ritchie and Doddridge...
Which is the party of dirty tricks here in WV? Both, sadly. But the latest example comes from my own party, via WV State Democratic Party chair Belinda Biafore.
Ken Ward writes: "When lawmakers passed and Tomblin signed a 2011 law aimed at better regulating oil and gas drilling, they weakened some provisions of it that would have provided more protections for residents near gas production operations. State officials said they would study those issues and could come back to them later. The studies were done, and recommended more protections, but the law hasn’t been updated based on the findings... "
The governor is quoted as commending Antero's project. But a quick check shows me that among his campaign donors were the President and CFO of Antero, Glen Warren Jr; Paul Rady (Chairman and CEO); his wife Katy; the Senior Vice President Steven Woodward...
Cairo is a small town of about 300 people.It's similar to so many other lovely towns across the state. It's also one of the towns whose water supply will be threatened by the Antero Frack Waste Disposal project.
WV DEP Secretary Randy Huffman actually admitted: "If I start pounding my fist, it is going to be a fruitless effort. I would become ineffective. There are too many entities at play in Charleston. If I did that, they’d laugh me out of the capitol building. It would limit my effectiveness.”
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