Now, from Weekend Update

Those of a certain age may remember the golden age of Saturday Night Live. One reoccurring skit had the great Gilda Radner playing a confused woman named Emily Litella. Emily would always go into an impassioned rant about some horrible abuse she had heard about until the end of the bit when someone, usually Chevy Chase, would tell Emily that she had misunderstood the whole issue. Emily would then appear flustered and embarrassed. She would look at the camera and say “never mind.”

On this blog, we have heard for months if not years about the horrible consequences that drilling in the Marcellus shale would bring to Pocahontas County. We have been warned that drilling would destroy our lifestyles. There have been lamentations about the lack of authority of the County Commission to address the problem.

All along, it has seemed clear to some of us that the warnings were likely correct. Those of us who have traveled to northern West Virginia had our opinions confirmed. But there always appeared to be a real workable solution to prevent the plague that was clearly within the power of the Commission - zoning.

The Commission sought the opinion of Robert Bastress, professor of law at WVU College of Law, to advise them about the options to deal with the zoning problem. Predictably, Professor Bastress advised the Commission that the real bullet-proof way to regulate drilling was to pass a zoning ordinance. An ordinance was drafted for the Commission to consider.

Everyone has always realized that there are reactionary elements in this community who would be violently opposed to zoning. Some have this view because of a political philosophy that holds that the right to unfettered use of private property is sacrosanct. Others simply don’t want anyone interfering with their right to turn a profit. Both of these groups give little or no consideration to the effect on the rest of us that may arise from their use of private property. In their view, no slaughterhouse or pig farm is too offensive to set beside a subdivision, or for that matter, an elementary school. These people are sometimes very vocal. I suspect that their volume exceeds their numbers. But to someone who values elective office, their threats may be daunting. They may be one issue voters. And, the passage of a zoning ordinance requires public meetings that are likely to be unpleasant.

Now, when the discussion of what to do about Marcellus drilling has come down to either pass a zoning ordinance or do nothing, we are told that drilling isn’t really a threat after all. We know this because another WVU professor, Timothy Carr, has assured us that drilling is unlikely here.

Dr. Carr is the Marshall Miller Professor of Energy, a chair endowed by Marshall Miller, a geologist who has a large consulting business working for fossil fuel companies. All over America, industry is contributing to our universities hoping that the professors they finance will influence public opinion. If Dr. Carr’s salary comes in part from the industry, we may reasonably question his objectivity. Follow the money. Along those lines, why did the gas industry go all over the County paying good money for leases that required drilling within a few years if they don’t anticipate drilling here?

Interestingly enough, Dr. Carr has publicly advanced the opinion that fracking does not cause earthquakes. One wonders if he is functions to put a pro-drilling scientific spin on issues. If he is a flack for fracking, (sorry, couldn’t resist) I wonder what we expect him to say in the face of the prospect of passage of an ordinance that would inhibit drilling. Do we expect him to tell us that the prospect of drilling is a present danger - better act now to prevent the devastation?

But Dr. Carr appears to be sufficient to calm the fears of at least Mr. Saffer. He believes that it’s not worth the turmoil to pass a zoning ordinance. And it’s clear that without his vote, no zoning ordinance has a chance of passing.

Suddenly, when we have a solution staring us in the face, the problems from drilling are simply not going to arise. Apparently, our fears were greatly overblown.

Never mind.

Higher Ground: Were you with us two years ago when we attempted even the luke warm position of "planning to plan"? Did you see that result? I worked for the Rouse Company 40 years ago in Baltimore Maryland. They built the city Columbia, Maryland, a totally planned community. How easy when you own 50,000 acres it is to plan. How difficult it is when those acres are owned by thousands of different people. Inspiration is the only way out of this dilemma, if at all.

Lewisburg's ordinance is mere window dressing. No drilling can even take place there even if every one wanted it.