Gas Wells Proposed for W. Va. Park

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. proposes to increase the presence of active wells at Chief Logan State Park more than eightfold, which would nearly double their number in the entire state park system.

But a Manchin administration official said no matter how sweet the deal, state law forbids the plan.

"We're going to follow the law," said Carte Goodwin, general counsel to Gov. Joe Manchin. "The governor does not support drilling in state parks."

Goodwin said he did not know the details behind the wells already producing within state parks. Those include four in Chief Logan, all but one operated by Cabot. The company has three more in an adjoining wildlife management area.

The issue could end up before the courts, or the Legislature.

Cabot cites the deed that conveyed much of the land used to create the park. It kept the gas rights with the owners, who have leased them to Cabot.

And though it requires what is now the Division of Natural Resources to approve the necessary construction to develop wells, the deed says such approval "shall not be unreasonable or arbitrarily withheld."

Goodwin said state law trumps that provision, and that supporters of the drilling proposal have sought without success to enlist legislators to change that.

Manchin's stance could lead Cabot to ask a judge to either allow its access to the leased gas or require the state to compensate it for the lost revenue. But Thomas S. Liberatore, a vice president for the Houston-based company, said Cabot hopes to avoid that scenario.

Goodwin said that if a court were to rule in Cabot's favor, Manchin would push for restrictions and regulations "to maintain the integrity of the park system."

Cabot hopes to apply within the next week to drill 10 new wells near the southern border of the 4,000-acre park. It would eventually seek to add another 20 to 25 wells throughout much of the rest of the park, except for a section along U.S. 119 that includes the new lodge and conference center.

Liberatore outlined the plan's selling points: no construction between Memorial and Labor days; the initial wells are slated for largely inaccessible areas in the park; none would be near playgrounds, day shelters or similar facilities; roads used to build the wells would be reclaimed as hiking or biking trails.

"We're well aware of how highly regarded Chief Logan is to the people of Logan County and of the state," he said.

Hosting up to 800,000 people a year, the park is one of the popular in West Virginia's system.

Liberatore also touted the resulting severance tax revenue for the state and the county, which would receive ad valorem taxes as well. Besides temporary construction jobs, the project would also likely yield additional positions for maintaining the wells, he said.

"It's truly a win-win for everybody," Liberatore said.