{Charleston , West
Virginia }…The West Virginia Supreme Court is urging
lawmakers to reconsider whether surface landowners in the state should have the
right to appeal when oil and gas drilling permits are issued for their land. Current
state law does not give appeal rights to surface property owners who don't also
hold title to oil and gas reserves buried underground. Justice Margaret
Workman, writing for a unanimous court, noted that current laws on drilling
permit appeals were written prior to the extensive development of the Marcellus
Shale in the state.