The House members of the Legislature’s Joint Select Committee on Marcellus Shale are holding the first of three public hearings tonight in Wheeling, and have finalized a location for the third public hearing in Clarksburg next week.

Members are seeking suggestions on specific measures that should be included in a proposed state law to encourage effective development of natural gas from Marcellus Shale while also addressing local and environmental concerns.

The select committee is using as a starting point Senate legislation that was under consideration in the House at the end of the regular session. A copy of that legislation, along with summaries prepared by a committee attorney, is available on the Legislature’s main web page at www.legis.state.wv.us .

Tonight’s meeting is from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the first-floor auditorium of the main campus building of Northern Community College, 1704 Market Street. All members of the public are invited to attend.

The other two public hearings will take place in Morgantown on Monday, July 25, and in Clarksburg on Wednesday, July 27.

The Morgantown hearing will be from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the West Virginia University College of Law, 1 Law Center Drive, located along University Avenue. The Clarksburg hearing will be from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the auditorium of the Robert C. Byrd High School, One Eagle Way.

The House Chair of the Committee is Delegate Tim Manchin, D-Marion. Other House members of the committee are Delegates Barbara Fleischauer, D-Monongalia; Tom Campbell, D-Greenbrier; Woody Ireland, R-Ritchie; and Bill Anderson, R-Wood.