I have been involved in this Marcellus Shale issue in Garrett County for the last five years.
I did mineral searches for Western Land Services in 2008.
They were one of the many energy related companies that was in Garrett County at that time signing people to mineral rights leases and thousands of acres went under lease.
It was then that I recognized the need for a law to clear up ownership of minerals. Thereafter I was very involved in the process that led to the passage of the Dormant Mineral Interests Act that became a law in October of 2010.
Since that time I have, on an almost daily basis, been involved in mineral searches and mineral related issues.
I have talked to many, many people on both sides. I have talked with those for natural gas development and those against natural gas development.
I have tried to see both sides. In addition I have read most of the newspaper articles, several studies, and various other articles and publications on natural gas drilling.
After careful consideration of everything I have heard and read, the people I most trust are the residents of Garrett County and in particular, the farmers of Garrett County who support natural gas development.
Why? First, they would be the people most directly affected. Their very existence depends on good, clean water.
I am very impressed with the farmers I have talked to. They are very knowledgeable and well-read and know of the possible problems with natural gas drilling. They are concerned, intelligent people totally dependent on quality water.
They know the problems associated with drilling yet they support natural gas development. If they don’t have a problem, why should I?
Jim Braskey
Title abstractor and paralegal
Frostburg
Editorials
He listens to the people who are directly affected by it
- Editorials
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High priority
Maryland school officials on Tuesday put an exclamation point on the need to take student-athlete concussions more seriously.
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Cashing in
As anyone who lives in the area knows, economic gains have been hard to come by in recent years. The opening of the Rocky Gap Casino Resort is one of the biggest boosts the region has seen in some time.
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Why have the media been silent all this time?
When I read the Cumberland Times-News Editorial this morning, Friday, May 17, entitled, “Outrageous,” I laughed like a kid at a birthday party!
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What are chances this much money will be spent on road?
I was intrigued by cost data summarized in reporter Kathy Mellott’s recent article, “Completing southern link of U.S. Route 219 said to be best use of highway funds,” which appeared in the Cumberland Times-News on Tuesday May 14 (Page 1A).
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School board should be doing better job with less money
The Allegany County Teachers Association (ACTA) board of directors recently submitted a letter to the editor asking the Allegany County commissioners to fully fund the Board of Education’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year (“Commissioners should fund school board request,” April 29 Times-News).
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Better ‘Click It’
If you notice more police on the highway this week, it’s for a couple of reasons.
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They do bite
This week is National Dog Bite Prevention Week. For anyone thinking that is not such a big deal, consider that 4.7 million Americans annually are bitten by dogs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Stop buying licenses; let them find the money somewhere else
A few months ago, I received two cards from the National Rifle Association. These were dealing with a legislative alert.
They asked that I should contact Sen. George Edwards and Delegate Kevin Kelly concerning the anti-gun legislation. -
Strength of gun laws is not reflected in grisly statistics
According to the FBI’s uniform crime reports, California had the highest number of gun murders in 2011 with 1,220, which makes up 68 percent of all murders in the state that year and equates to 3.25 murders per 100,000 people.
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An old story
What for years has been an on-again, off-again battle over funding between the Allegany County Commissioners and the Allegany County Board of Education seems to be growing even uglier.
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