Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced today the passage of the Horizontal Well Act ("the Act"), which governs and regulates the exploration and development of shale gas formations through wells drilled using horizontal drilling technologies and completed using hydraulic stimulation techniques.

The Act provides benefits to all West Virginians through protection of the state's water resources, surface owners' interests and environmental interests, while encouraging responsible development of West Virginia's natural gas resources with the resulting economic benefits in the form of employment and tax revenues. It is expected the Act will stimulate growth of the natural gas industry in West Virginia and make the state more competitive in terms ofbeing a possible ethane cracker site location.