Clay County Commissioners met in rescheduled session Monday Dec  23rd. On hand were over 25 citizens. They were not there to extend seasons greetings. They were there seeking elected leader support to cure a serious situation around the Ovapa community.
  For most of us, Christmas is a time for families to come together, hug, eat home made treats, and share a day or two in the family homestead. For several in the Ovapa area,  that won't be happening. Some now and many more in the near future will be without natural gas service.
  In the above pic, in the rear, that's Amanda Adkins leading the charge to get something done, to restore for some and keep for the majority, cheap natural gas.
  Amanda reported, back in July, many but not all, Ovapa residents received corporate letters informing them, gas supplies in the area were running out in the "gathering" system once owned by Triad Resources. Before you stop reading and say, this doesn't affect me, this issue includes a larger swath of the county and extends over into Roane County too.
  After Triad filed for bankruptcy protection, Ground Resources took over operation of the cross county "gathering" system. Currently, in Clayberry, there are 39 homes caught in the change of heating source. Upwards of 90 family homes are affected including those over in Roane County.
  Up front, Commissioner Fran King related a similar situation 10 years ago when another gas operator, John Habjan, was so negligent in his ownership responsibilities, the W Va Public Service Commission took his local companies and delivered them to Mountaineer Gas Company. King explained, the old system was leaking like a sief with repair jobs consisting of pop cans over the holes and held in place with radiator clamps.
  Running out of gas? Many in the crowd all but said, that notion was a bunch of BS! The citizens  let the world know, they knew what was really going on. For instance. Ground Resources was blowing out the  gas on the weekends when regulators were nowhere to be seen. By doing that, gas pressure drops allowing them to say, we're running out of supply.
  One lady has four active gas wells on her property and she too received one of those, we're cutting you off letters.  One feller in the crowd who had worked in the supply field for over 30 years, attested to what is going on.
  Amanda explained, they had already talked with local House Delegate Roger Hanshaw.  According to Ms Adkins, the main thing he suggested was for the group to hire one of his buddies. one of his partners.
   As for releasing the toxic fuel in the air on weekends, CCC Prez Greg Fitzwater made the group aware of a regulator agency called "Pipeline Safety" and for them to be contacted.
  Team Adkins has already been in contact with the Consumer Advocate Div of the W Va Public Service Commission (PSC) and a formal complaint has been filed.
  Francis White and others made it clear, Ground Resources will not talk to em.
   Commissioner King's chief point: It's time to work on a  citizen petition in both Clay and Roane Counties and to bring the finished paperwork back to the CCC for them to file on the group's behalf.
   One fired up feller: They are letting gas off in the air so there's no pressure left in the line... They are flat out lying to us!
 
 

   Mention came on at least one citizen with serious illness at hand and her fuel supply had been cut off. (Now that's a dirty rotten corporate greedy, trick!)
  After sitting thru 35 minutes of testimony, here's what we think is happening: Triad allowed the service lines to rot away with a bunch of natural gas leaking into the air. Instead of spending real $$$ to get their system back in good working order, they've told customers, we will not be providing the needed product in the near future. Ground Resources has offered to supply a propane tank and one tank of that kind of fuel, to each affected customer.
  Doesn't that sound nice... like a kind corporation taking care of their wards?
  It's not
  Truth is, propane is many times more expensive to use than natural gas. There's also the problem of getting propane trucks up the hollers for delivery time. One lady  explained, there is no way a propane truck can get to her house.
  Instead of doing the right thing, Ground Resources is abandoning the citizenry. Those are the same citizens that have paid their monthly bills for decades.
  Christmas is suppose to be a happy time, the happiest time of the year. It's the season of giving. Instead of giving a good service, the local gas supplier is breaking it off in it's customers without Crisco.
  While we're snug in our homes, there are some seniors in Clayberry already without gas service and many more to follow this Spring.
  Confucius: To see what is right and not do it, is want of courage , or of principle.

AW