 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
The Shrine ATV Poker Run is scheduled for September 4 and the Creston ATV Poker Run is to be on September 18. Both should be great times to get out with friends & family and enjoy the local area.
Rev. Keith Belt brought the message at the Burning Springs M. E. Church.
The Calhoun road crew was patching the pavement at Brooksville & those talking with the natives over at Newark report that those who reside there are very appreciative of the work that the Wirt road crew has been doing in that community.
Charles Russell was a Sunday dinner guest of Euell Russell at the Miletree Center. Charles was also attending to business in Spencer.
Gay Park was consulting her cardiac physician. It seems she has rhythm but it needs some adjustment.
Nancy Hall reported that she was doing much better.
Freddie Bush was attending to business in Creston.
W. Harrison Schenerlein IV was calling on Charles Russell & Fritzena and had a picnic at the Creston Community Building.
John Raese and Joseph E. Manchin, III, better known as the Big Boss, were the candidates nominated to fill the remaining two years of the Little Fiddler's term. It is interesting to note that the Big Boss has already said when he would go to Washington to replace the Goodwin Boy who he named to hold the seat until he could be elected to go help the Big Eared One in his plan to fundamentally change America from a super power into a third world country.
Some local folks attended the Big Boss's special meeting at the DEP Office on 57th Street in Kanawha City for all that are involved in the oil & gas business. The Big Boss said W. Va. was "going to lead the nation" in new and better rules for horizontal drilling and that there would be a task force put together to write the new laws to be passed in January. Corky deMarco, speaking for the "Big Boys" indicated that they wanted new definitions for deep & shallow drilling & the right to "force pool" on horizontal wells. Force pooling is allowed in Texas but the royalty owners get 25% royalty until the well is paid out and then they get, in addition to the royalty, a carried working interest for their share of the well. Both New York (where an injunction has stopped horizontal wells) & Pennsylvania are reworking their oil and gas rules as have various western states.
The highway commissioner talked about the damage to roads caused by drilling, especially horizontal wells which have round the clock truck traffic for weeks & months. Bonds were suggested which would require that the highways be rebuilt but some said this would "inhibit economic development" and suggested that operators give some stone to the state road & let the department spread it when things got real bad. In Pennsylvania where they note that the road bonds have not kept pace with inflation, operators maintain the roads and then rebuild them as two lane blacktop roads with substantial base after completion of fracking.
Randy Huffman from DEP noted that if all 16 of his inspectors were just covering horizontal wells there would be only 50% coverage at best and indicated that something had to be done. Someone suggested using the coal inspectors since coal mining is not part of the Big Eared One's plan and then there was a comment about the requirements, testing, etc to be an oil & gas inspector. The Big Boss said that if folks held up the new law by legislative action there would be a cessation of new permits to which a certain Mr. Morris said, "That sounds like a threat."
Over in Braxton County there have now been eight (8) recent earthquakes which is somewhat unusual. Research by those trying to find the cause has shown that Chesapeake has a Marcellus well near Frametown that was said to be no good & the company is using it as a disposal well for frac fluid and produced water from wells the company drilled in Upshur County. Apparently the same thing happened with one of the company's wells under the Dallas - Fort Worth Airport and they shut down the operation. This part of West Virginia has numerous faults which, in the past, were active.
Alvin Engelke was among the several hundred thousand who were in Washington, D. C. for the Restore Honor rally. He went with Richard Martin, his brother-in-law. The main theme of the gathering was for a religious rebirth for the nation stressing the critical part a belief in God played in the nation's founding and resulting greatness. Also lauded were military heroes, especially those from Special Forces.
On the stage were descendants of the Pilgrims, the Indians who taught them how to grow corn, an Oklahoma Indian chief who is a Christian minister, a Rabbi & many other ministers including the daughter of Rev. A. B. King. The crowd was happy and positive. The man standing behind Alvin had talked with Sarah Palin the day before in Hershey, Pennsylvania (She gave a rousing speech and introduced the military heroes). Another couple noted that they had attended Dan's Bake Sale in Colorado some years back and another said he was at the Tea Party Rally in Search Light Nevada (Harry Reid's home town) when there were so many that the interstate was shut down.
Richard Martin noted that the reflecting pool was filthy and that the grass was shabby and that the sidewalks were in need of repair. Of course when one is vacationing in Spain, Maine & Martha's Vineyard gorging on lobster one might not notice such "minor details". Obviously, some do not take pride in our nation's monuments.
Speaking of monuments, the Ground Zero Mosque has now become a national issue after the Big Eared One gave his blessing to the plan. It was to be called the Cordoba Mosque in honor of the mosque built in that Spanish city as a victory monument when the Muslims defeated the Christians back in the dark ages. The New York edifice was to be a victory monument for the attack on the "Great Satan" (America) on September 11th to honor their victory.
The price of local Penn grade crude oil fell to $67.50/bbl.
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