Surface Rights, Clean Water Advocates Discuss Energy, Environment Bills

On this West Virginia Morning, energy and environment reporter Brittany Patterson spoke with Angie Rosser, Executive Director of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, and Dave McMahon, of the West Virginia Surface Owners’ Rights Organization, during last night’s episode of The Legislature Today.

They discussed bills moving through the legislative process this session that deal with natural gas and oil related issues, such as orphaned wells and aboveground storage tanks. We hear an excerpt from the interview, taped live at the Capitol.

Also on today’s show, in Appalachia, long traditions of seed saving make it possible for home gardeners to grow heirloom vegetable varieties that have been around for decades. Traditionally, growing these special seeds meant you had to have connections in the community — seed saving and seed swaps were how people found new seeds.

Today, though, there are organizations like seed libraries and community gardens that help save these seeds from being lost. One of our folkways corps reporters, Rachel Greene, spent some time in Ashe County, North Carolina talking to the people who are helping give old seeds a new life.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.