WEST VIRGINIA CODE











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WVC 5 B- 2 H- 2

§5B-2H-2. Legislative findings; declaration of public policy.

     (a) The Legislature finds that:

     (1) The advent and advancement of new and existing

technologies and drilling practices have created the opportunity

for the efficient development of natural gas contained in

underground shales and other geological formations.

     (2) With development of the Marcellus shale comes the

opportunity for economic development in related areas of the

economy including, but not limited to, manufacturing, transmission

of natural gas and related products and the transportation of

manufactured products.

     (3) It is in the interest of national security to encourage

post-production uses of natural gas and its various components as

a replacement for oil imported from other countries.

     (4) Producers of natural gas, transporters of natural gas and

manufacturers of products using natural gas face a significant

number of regulatory requirements, some of which may be redundant,

inconsistent, or overlapping. Agencies should work together, where

practical, to avoid duplication, promote better coordination and

reduce these requirements, thus reducing costs, simplifying and

harmonizing rules and streamlining regulatory oversight.

     (5) In developing regulatory actions and identifying

appropriate approaches, agencies should attempt to promote

coordination, simplification, and harmonization.

     (6) Agencies should also seek to identify, as appropriate, means to achieve regulatory goals that are designed to promote

innovation.

     (7) Agencies should review their existing significant

legislative, interpretive and procedural rules to determine whether

any such rules should be modified, streamlined, expanded or

repealed so as to make the agency's regulatory program more

effective or less burdensome in achieving the regulatory

objectives.

     (8) The West Virginia Economic Development Authority

established in article fifteen, chapter thirty-one of this code and

the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council

created in article fifteen-a, chapter thirty-one of this code,

should, where appropriate, provide assistance that grows or

sustains this segment of the economy.

     (b) The Legislature declares that facilitating the development

of business activity directly and indirectly related to development

of the Marcellus shale serves the public interest of the citizens

of this state by promoting economic development and improving

economic opportunities for the citizens of this state.





Note: WV Code updated with legislation passed through the 2015 Regular Session

The WV Code Online is an unofficial copy of the annotated WV Code, provided as a convenience. It has NOT been edited for publication, and is not in any way official or authoritative.