CHARLESTON, W.V. (AP) - A new Marcellus shale regulatory law gives the Department of Environmental Protection money to hire more natural gas well inspectors and support staff. But filling the 14 new positions will take some time.
DEP Secretary Randy Huffman tells the Charleston Gazette that his agency must compete with the private sector, where workers can earn two to three times the salaries of the state jobs. The minimum state inspector's salary will be $35,000 a year, while supervising staff will earn $40,000 a year.
The DEP will have a larger pool of candidates to draw from under the new law. It reduced the amount of gas industry experience required from six years to two years.
Huffman says it could take at least a year to fill the positions.
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