By David Beard, The Dominion Post
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A bill working its way through the Senate could more than double the number of oil and gas well inspectors working across the state.
SB 448 proposes three means of raising money for the chronically underfunded Office of Oil and Gas to pay for more inspectors. OO&G relies exclusively on well application fees, unlike other offices that also charge various annual fees. And it gets no federal funding.
Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Secretary Scott Mandirola said the DEP worked this agreement out with the top eight oil and gas producers in the state. The negotiations began after the last session, following several years of failed bills.
The first means dedicates 0.75% of severance tax collections to the OOG to produce an estimated $960,000. The second is an expedited well permit modification fee of $5,000, expected to raise $225,000…
To read more: https://www.dominionpost.com/2023/01/31/senate-energy-committee-oks-bill-to-double-number-of-oil-and-gas-well-inspectors/
