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Speakers Rally Against Proposed Fayette Waste Site
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The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection hosted a public hearing about two proposed waste permits in Fayette County Tuesday night. All but one of about 30 people who who spoke at the hearing opposed the permit.
Danny Webb, the owner of the waste site, stayed for the first part of the hearing, but did not speak publicly.
The majority of the voices behind the podium opposed Webb’s proposed underground injection control permits, frequently to a cheering crowd. This waste site has been a dumping ground for oil and gas waste from sites in Pennsylvania, Virginia and other parts of West Virginia.
Credit Chris Jackson
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Mary Rahall, a Fayette County resident, voices here opinion about the Danny Webb Construction Company’s underground injection well site during a public hearing about the site’s permit renewal by the West Virginia DEP at Oak Hill High School in Oak Hill on Tuesday.
Folks representing Friends of Water, Plateau Action Network, the National Park Service and even the Fayette County Commission asked the DEP to deny this permit.
Gary Zuckett with the West Virginia Citizen Action, also opposed the permit on the record. After the meeting he pointed out that this type of oil and gas disposal is across West Virginia.
“There’s one in the county that I have property in in Ritchie county, and we have problems with that well,” Zuckette said. “So it’s not just a Fayette County problem, it’s a West Virginia problem.”
In 2013, there were 54 non-commercial and 17 commercial disposal wells in the state according to the DEP.
The DEP set up large maps for those attending the hearing to inspect. There was also a court recorder off to the side available for folks who didn’t feel comfortable to speak in front of the energetic crowd.
One man, who didn’t want to give his name, said he worked for Danny Webb Construction but that he and about 25 other workers in the area are now out of work.
But it wasn’t just the company that was fielding criticism and push back, several speakers accused the DEP of failing to represent the people. Earlier this month, the Environmental Quality Board ruled that the state agency tasked with the protecting the environment in West Virginia, violated state law when it allowed Danny Webb Construction to collect waste without a permit.
Credit Chris Jackson/The Register-Herald / The Register-Herald
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The Register-Herald
Danny Webb, owner of Danny Webb Construction Company, listens to Mary Rahall, a resident of Fayette County, voice her opinion about the underground injection site during a public hearing on the West Virginia DEP permit renewal for the Danny Webb Construction Company’s site in Lochgelly at Oak Hill High School in Oak Hill on Tuesday.
The permits had expired in 2012 but was granted in 2014 then after significant public interest, was revoked. The permit the DEP is now considering would allow the company again to accept fluids from oil and gas exploration, development drilling, and production fluids for another five years. The DEP is accepting comments through May 1.
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The Public Service Commission of West Virginia is currently conducting public comment hearings concerning developer NextEra Energy’s application to construct a new 107.5-mile-long transmission line from Pennsylvania through West Virginia to Virginia.
The Public Service Commission of West Virginia is currently conducting public comment hearings concerning developer NextEra Energy’s application to construct a new 107.5-mile-long transmission line from Pennsylvania through West Virginia to Virginia. WVPB spoke with NextEra about the project.
Since opening in April 2024, the treatment plant has removed metals common in mine drainage like iron and aluminum from the water. The acidified water is also treated to raise its pH level back to neutral.
