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YOUNGSTOWN CITIZENS PROTECTING THEMSELVES
Citizens Voice Concerns about radioactive fracking waste processing facility within the city of YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO Read more here...
Citizens Voice Concerns about radioactive fracking waste processing facility within the city of YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO Read more here...
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March 5, 2013. Teresa Mills, from the Center for Health, Environment & Justice, filed a formal petition with the U.S. EPA claiming laws passed in Ohio violate the United State's EPA "Community Right To Know Act.", specifically those that exempt the oil and gas industry from disclosure of chemicals they use.
I. OVERVIEW
This is a Petition filed by the undersigned, Teresa Mills of Grove City, Ohio, on behalf of herself and all residents across the State of Ohio, to request that the United States Environmental Protection Agency take action to avoid imminent public harm and to protect the public right-to- know arising from actions taken by the State of Ohio that are clearly unconstitutional under the Federal Supremacy Clause for violating the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (“EPCRA”), Pub. L. No. 99-499, Title III, 100 Stat. 1728 (1986).
Ohio has been in violation of EPCRA since 2001 without any response to date from the United States. That violation was first created by the passage of House Bill 94, followed by the adoption of Ohio Revised Code (“ORC”) Section §3750.081 in September, 2001, that essentially exempts the oil and gas industry operating in this state from requirements under EPCRA requirement that facilities within those industries annually file emergency planning inventory forms with state and local emergency planning authorities. The violation was further compounded by passage of SB 315 in 2012, followed by the adoption of ORC Section §1509.10 (H) and (I), which divert trade secret determination authority from U.S. EPA and unduly restrict citizens’ ability to challenge trade secret claims.
Petitioner is requesting that U.S. EPA review this situation on an expedited basis and remedy it through taking the actions: 1) publishing a formal determination that ORC §3750.081 and ORC §1509.10 (H) (I) violate EPCRA; 2) inform relevant state agencies and legislators of aforesaid determination and 3) after a reasonable period of time following such publication, undertake enforcement actions against oil and gas facilities operating in Ohio that remain in non-compliance with EPCRA’s requirements.
Following is a copy of the Petition, EPCRA VIOLATIONS BY STATE OF OHIO Unconstitutional under Federal Supremacy Clause: PETITION TO U.S EPA
I. OVERVIEW
This is a Petition filed by the undersigned, Teresa Mills of Grove City, Ohio, on behalf of herself and all residents across the State of Ohio, to request that the United States Environmental Protection Agency take action to avoid imminent public harm and to protect the public right-to- know arising from actions taken by the State of Ohio that are clearly unconstitutional under the Federal Supremacy Clause for violating the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (“EPCRA”), Pub. L. No. 99-499, Title III, 100 Stat. 1728 (1986).
Ohio has been in violation of EPCRA since 2001 without any response to date from the United States. That violation was first created by the passage of House Bill 94, followed by the adoption of Ohio Revised Code (“ORC”) Section §3750.081 in September, 2001, that essentially exempts the oil and gas industry operating in this state from requirements under EPCRA requirement that facilities within those industries annually file emergency planning inventory forms with state and local emergency planning authorities. The violation was further compounded by passage of SB 315 in 2012, followed by the adoption of ORC Section §1509.10 (H) and (I), which divert trade secret determination authority from U.S. EPA and unduly restrict citizens’ ability to challenge trade secret claims.
Petitioner is requesting that U.S. EPA review this situation on an expedited basis and remedy it through taking the actions: 1) publishing a formal determination that ORC §3750.081 and ORC §1509.10 (H) (I) violate EPCRA; 2) inform relevant state agencies and legislators of aforesaid determination and 3) after a reasonable period of time following such publication, undertake enforcement actions against oil and gas facilities operating in Ohio that remain in non-compliance with EPCRA’s requirements.
Following is a copy of the Petition, EPCRA VIOLATIONS BY STATE OF OHIO Unconstitutional under Federal Supremacy Clause: PETITION TO U.S EPA
Press conference video and article by NBC4i, Columbus, Ohio:
http://www.nbc4i.com/story/21522817/environmental-groups-claim-ohio-in-violation-of-federal-law
http://www.nbc4i.com/story/21522817/environmental-groups-claim-ohio-in-violation-of-federal-law
February 15, 2013, Youngstown, Ohio, press conference w/ local, state & federal justice departments. “Today a criminal complaint was unsealed in federal court charging Ben Lupo with violating the Clean Water Act,” said U.S. Attorney Steven M. Dettelbach at a press conference Thursday along the Mahoning River in Youngstown, Ohio. “(Lupo) is accused specifically in the complaint of dumping brine and oil-based drilling mud, essentially the byproducts of drilling related to hydraulic fracturing, into a tributary of the Mahoning River.”
http://www.vindy.com/news/2013/feb/15/dl-owner-charged-workers-claim-ordered-lie/
http://www.vindy.com/news/2013/feb/15/dl-owner-charged-workers-claim-ordered-lie/
Two Ohio Unitarian Church Forums coming up in January 2013: download pdfs of fliers:
| Shaker Heights Hydro-fracking forum Look At What's Below flier PDF Jan 20 |
| Faith Communities Together Jan 26 Rocky River PDF |
Urgent: Please Send Comments to EPA! Deadline Wednesday, December 19, 2012.
The public has a chance to comment on the candidates for the US EPA's Science Advisory Board panel. The SAB panel will review the technical aspects of the US EPA's report on the effects of shale drilling on groundwater. This is our chance to strongly recommend qualified candidates or oppose industry-influenced candidates. *EPA Portal for the decision process*:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/WebProjectsRequestsforCommentsBOARD/B436304BA804E3F885257A5B00521B3B?OpenDocument&TableRow=2.1#2
There is a long *list of candidates* - 72 page PDF :
http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/WebProjectsRequestsforCommentsBOARD/B436304BA804E3F885257A5B00521B3B/$File/List%20of%20Candidates-Hydraulic%20Fracturing%20Advisory%20Panel-11-27-12-Final.pdf
Directly below is a sample letter of recommended and not recommended candidates; personalize as needed:
The public has a chance to comment on the candidates for the US EPA's Science Advisory Board panel. The SAB panel will review the technical aspects of the US EPA's report on the effects of shale drilling on groundwater. This is our chance to strongly recommend qualified candidates or oppose industry-influenced candidates. *EPA Portal for the decision process*:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/WebProjectsRequestsforCommentsBOARD/B436304BA804E3F885257A5B00521B3B?OpenDocument&TableRow=2.1#2
There is a long *list of candidates* - 72 page PDF :
http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/WebProjectsRequestsforCommentsBOARD/B436304BA804E3F885257A5B00521B3B/$File/List%20of%20Candidates-Hydraulic%20Fracturing%20Advisory%20Panel-11-27-12-Final.pdf
Directly below is a sample letter of recommended and not recommended candidates; personalize as needed:
For Immediate Release November 12, 2012
Contacts: Lea Harper (419) 450-7042, wewantcleanwater@gmail.com
Paul Rubin, HydroQuest, (845) 657-8111, hydroquest@yahoo.com
Contacts: Lea Harper (419) 450-7042, wewantcleanwater@gmail.com
Paul Rubin, HydroQuest, (845) 657-8111, hydroquest@yahoo.com
Download press release as a PDF HERE
Report Cites Dangers If MWCD Leases Reservoirs for Fracking: Calls for Immediate
Moratorium on Fracking Wells in Watersheds with Reservoirs
Report Cites Dangers If MWCD Leases Reservoirs for Fracking: Calls for Immediate
Moratorium on Fracking Wells in Watersheds with Reservoirs
A report commissioned by citizens opposed to hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas has
identified grave public health and environmental risks in plans to lease public land for hydraulic
fracturing (“fracking”) near Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) reservoirs.
The report, by Paul Rubin, a high-profile New York Hydrogeologist (President of HydroQuest),
warns of toxic water contamination sources which will be created by fracking near and
underneath the lakes. It was sent today to the MWCD along with a demand by the citizens that
there be an immediate moratorium of indefinite length imposed upon hydraulic fracturing on any
MWCD lands and underneath all MWCD reservoirs, and further, that there be a permanent
policy of refusing to sell reservoir water for fracking.
Rubin’s report focuses on Seneca Lake, Ohio’s second-largest freshwater lake, as an
example of a Muskingum reservoir case study. He concludes that leasing for widespread gas and
oil drilling is a “present worst-case scenario” because:
• Gas and oil wells, some drilled more than half a century ago, have weak or failing
plugs of questionable integrity. The ability of aging, incomplete and absent well sealant (i.e.,
plug) materials to keep toxic contaminations out of freshwater aquifers, reservoirs and
waterways is poor and short-lived;
• Cement sheaths, steel casing and clay plugs of known wells are failing or will fail
within anywhere from a few years to decades, thereby creating new pathways for explosive
methane gas and fracking poisons to flow into drinking water sources. Huge fracking pressures
will blow out weak clay plugs in old wells, many beneath reservoirs. Earthquakes will further
shorten the limited durability and life span of well sealant materials;
• Repeated hydraulic fracturing will result in interconnecting natural and created
fractures and old, poorly plugged, gas and oil wells, allowing upward contaminant migration into
drinking water supplies, including reservoirs; and
• Toxic hydrofracking fluids injected deeply in the ground will move with groundwater
flow systems, eventually moving upward into freshwater aquifers, reservoirs and waterways.
Permitting of horizontal gas wells proximal to reservoirs will needlessly jeopardize water
quality.
These are among many reasons that HydroQuest recommends an immediate moratorium
on leasing for hydro-fracking in the MWCD and gas-rich shales of Ohio and for conducting
health and environmental impact assessments.
Investigation is ongoing by other experts into identifiable cancer spikes in neighborhoods
in Cambridge, Ohio, which considerably exceed the statewide average for cancers and which
may be traceable to historical oil and gas drilling and subsequent leakage into Seneca Lake and
its tributaries upstream. Many fracking chemicals are carcinogenic, teratogenic (cause birth
defects and poor maternal and fetal health), and toxic to the nervous, respiratory and gastrointestinal
tracts. Investigators believe that existing public health problems in the Muskingum
River Basin will be intensified by additional water contamination, and will soon report on toxic
dangers from fracking.
Hydrogeologist Rubin states: “Considering potential loss of potable water quality, it is
difficult to conceive of any worse combination of factors than those proposed for drilling and
production of horizontal wells with high pressure and high volume hydro-fracturing next to and
under public water supply reservoirs … This situation is exactly what major water suppliers
elsewhere have fought hard to avoid. … Health risk and assured contamination of ground and
surface water supplies is the reason to ban hydraulic fracturing in the Muskingum River
Watershed and beyond. The most important reason to ban hydraulic fracturing in the
Muskingum River Watershed is that it poses great medical risk to the residents.”
Further, says Rubin, “The problem with Seneca - and I suspect with other Muskingum
District reservoirs - is that they pose a ‘worst-case’ scenario now, in real time, and not simply
one possible bad outcome of fracking. This watershed is one of the worst situations in the
United States, combining high risks to water quality while worsening already-troubling public
health risks.”
“On a broad scale,” Rubin continued, “regulators in the State of Ohio may be fostering
the Love Canal of today, but on a far, far grander scale. Love Canal was a major Superfund
hazardous waste site near Buffalo, NY. Adverse health impacts from hydraulic fracturing,
already well-documented by toxicologists and doctors in Pennsylvania, will assuredly occur in
the MWCD and then increase as contaminated groundwater reaches major down-gradient
aquifers. Once contaminated, groundwater cannot be remediated, even at unlimited cost.”
Lea Harper of Southeast Ohio Alliance to Save Our Water (SOASOW), which
commissioned the study, issued this statement: “The potential known risks of contamination of
water contained in the Muskingum watershed simply cannot justify hydrofracking. Millions of
gallons of poorly-defined toxic and radioactive waste are generated at each drilling site, which
also endangers public health. We endorse the many recommendations made by HydroQuest.
For starters, we strongly recommend that no gas well permits be given within any watershed with
a reservoir, and particularly in settings with relict gas wells beneath reservoirs. We also demand
that no further water sales by the Conservancy District be allowed so we don’t lose the benefit of
the dilution effect for toxins already present from previous fossil fuel extraction activities in the
area.”
The Rubin report, “Hydrogeologic Concerns Regarding Hydraulic Fracturing within the
Muskingum River Watershed in Eastern Ohio with Justification & Recommendations in
Support of a Drilling Moratorium within Reservoir Watersheds and Statewide Legislation
Banning Hydraulic Fracturing,” is available at
http://hydroquest.com/Hydrofracking/Ohio%20-%20Muskingum%20Watershed%20Hydraulic%20Fracking%20Report%2010-17-12.pdf
###
The Fresh Water Accountability Project is committed to preserving clean water and to preempting
possible environmental degradation while establishing accountability on behalf of those
who may be detrimentally affected and deserve compensation if their water and quality of life
are adversely affected by hydraulic fracturing activities, including injection wells and waste
disposal, which also includes the spreading of “brine” (frack waste) on public roadways.
identified grave public health and environmental risks in plans to lease public land for hydraulic
fracturing (“fracking”) near Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) reservoirs.
The report, by Paul Rubin, a high-profile New York Hydrogeologist (President of HydroQuest),
warns of toxic water contamination sources which will be created by fracking near and
underneath the lakes. It was sent today to the MWCD along with a demand by the citizens that
there be an immediate moratorium of indefinite length imposed upon hydraulic fracturing on any
MWCD lands and underneath all MWCD reservoirs, and further, that there be a permanent
policy of refusing to sell reservoir water for fracking.
Rubin’s report focuses on Seneca Lake, Ohio’s second-largest freshwater lake, as an
example of a Muskingum reservoir case study. He concludes that leasing for widespread gas and
oil drilling is a “present worst-case scenario” because:
• Gas and oil wells, some drilled more than half a century ago, have weak or failing
plugs of questionable integrity. The ability of aging, incomplete and absent well sealant (i.e.,
plug) materials to keep toxic contaminations out of freshwater aquifers, reservoirs and
waterways is poor and short-lived;
• Cement sheaths, steel casing and clay plugs of known wells are failing or will fail
within anywhere from a few years to decades, thereby creating new pathways for explosive
methane gas and fracking poisons to flow into drinking water sources. Huge fracking pressures
will blow out weak clay plugs in old wells, many beneath reservoirs. Earthquakes will further
shorten the limited durability and life span of well sealant materials;
• Repeated hydraulic fracturing will result in interconnecting natural and created
fractures and old, poorly plugged, gas and oil wells, allowing upward contaminant migration into
drinking water supplies, including reservoirs; and
• Toxic hydrofracking fluids injected deeply in the ground will move with groundwater
flow systems, eventually moving upward into freshwater aquifers, reservoirs and waterways.
Permitting of horizontal gas wells proximal to reservoirs will needlessly jeopardize water
quality.
These are among many reasons that HydroQuest recommends an immediate moratorium
on leasing for hydro-fracking in the MWCD and gas-rich shales of Ohio and for conducting
health and environmental impact assessments.
Investigation is ongoing by other experts into identifiable cancer spikes in neighborhoods
in Cambridge, Ohio, which considerably exceed the statewide average for cancers and which
may be traceable to historical oil and gas drilling and subsequent leakage into Seneca Lake and
its tributaries upstream. Many fracking chemicals are carcinogenic, teratogenic (cause birth
defects and poor maternal and fetal health), and toxic to the nervous, respiratory and gastrointestinal
tracts. Investigators believe that existing public health problems in the Muskingum
River Basin will be intensified by additional water contamination, and will soon report on toxic
dangers from fracking.
Hydrogeologist Rubin states: “Considering potential loss of potable water quality, it is
difficult to conceive of any worse combination of factors than those proposed for drilling and
production of horizontal wells with high pressure and high volume hydro-fracturing next to and
under public water supply reservoirs … This situation is exactly what major water suppliers
elsewhere have fought hard to avoid. … Health risk and assured contamination of ground and
surface water supplies is the reason to ban hydraulic fracturing in the Muskingum River
Watershed and beyond. The most important reason to ban hydraulic fracturing in the
Muskingum River Watershed is that it poses great medical risk to the residents.”
Further, says Rubin, “The problem with Seneca - and I suspect with other Muskingum
District reservoirs - is that they pose a ‘worst-case’ scenario now, in real time, and not simply
one possible bad outcome of fracking. This watershed is one of the worst situations in the
United States, combining high risks to water quality while worsening already-troubling public
health risks.”
“On a broad scale,” Rubin continued, “regulators in the State of Ohio may be fostering
the Love Canal of today, but on a far, far grander scale. Love Canal was a major Superfund
hazardous waste site near Buffalo, NY. Adverse health impacts from hydraulic fracturing,
already well-documented by toxicologists and doctors in Pennsylvania, will assuredly occur in
the MWCD and then increase as contaminated groundwater reaches major down-gradient
aquifers. Once contaminated, groundwater cannot be remediated, even at unlimited cost.”
Lea Harper of Southeast Ohio Alliance to Save Our Water (SOASOW), which
commissioned the study, issued this statement: “The potential known risks of contamination of
water contained in the Muskingum watershed simply cannot justify hydrofracking. Millions of
gallons of poorly-defined toxic and radioactive waste are generated at each drilling site, which
also endangers public health. We endorse the many recommendations made by HydroQuest.
For starters, we strongly recommend that no gas well permits be given within any watershed with
a reservoir, and particularly in settings with relict gas wells beneath reservoirs. We also demand
that no further water sales by the Conservancy District be allowed so we don’t lose the benefit of
the dilution effect for toxins already present from previous fossil fuel extraction activities in the
area.”
The Rubin report, “Hydrogeologic Concerns Regarding Hydraulic Fracturing within the
Muskingum River Watershed in Eastern Ohio with Justification & Recommendations in
Support of a Drilling Moratorium within Reservoir Watersheds and Statewide Legislation
Banning Hydraulic Fracturing,” is available at
http://hydroquest.com/Hydrofracking/Ohio%20-%20Muskingum%20Watershed%20Hydraulic%20Fracking%20Report%2010-17-12.pdf
###
The Fresh Water Accountability Project is committed to preserving clean water and to preempting
possible environmental degradation while establishing accountability on behalf of those
who may be detrimentally affected and deserve compensation if their water and quality of life
are adversely affected by hydraulic fracturing activities, including injection wells and waste
disposal, which also includes the spreading of “brine” (frack waste) on public roadways.
Youngstown, Ohio's Historic Mill Creek Park Threatened With Fracking, Oil & Gas Drilling: Urgent Hearing Oct. 25, 2012
Frackfree Mahoning Valley News Release
www.frackfreemahoning.blogspot.com/ permanent link: http://www.frackfreeamerica.org/1/post/2012/10/youngstown-ohios-historic-mill-creek-park-threatened-with-fracking-oil-gas-drilling-urgent-hearing-oct-25-2012.html
______________________________________________________
For Immediate Release: October 22, 2012
Contact: Susie Beiersdorfer: Phone: 234-201-0402 or E-mail: frackfreemahoning@gmail.com
______________________________________________________
YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO’S HISTORIC MILL CREEK PARK FACES THREAT OF FRACKING AND OIL AND GAS DRILLING: GROUPS URGE THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND A PUBLIC MEETING THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2012, AT MILL CREEK METRO PARKS FARM TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS, HEAR SPEAKERS
Youngstown, Ohio, 10/22/12 – Youngstown’s beautiful, historic Mill Creek Park is facing the threat of fracking and gas and oil drilling. Park commissioners are having public meetings to gather information to help them decide whether or not to greenlight fracking in Mill Creek Park.
Concerned citizens of Frackfree Mahoning Valley and Guardians of Mill Creek Park are urging the public to attend an important public meeting on October 25, 2012, at Mill Creek MetroParks Farm 7574 Columbiana-Canfield Rd. Canfield, OH 44406 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
Scheduled speakers at the October 25th meeting are: Ohio State Representative Bob Hagan, Dr. Ted Voneida (neurobiology), Dr. Ray Beiersdorfer, Ph.D, professor of geology. Dr. Voneida and Dr. Beiersdorfer will speak about geology and chemicals that are vented at fracked wells and the adverse effects they have on the environment and health.
“If you care about the park and our surrounding area, we urge you to please come and hear the speakers and voice your concerns to stop fracking from destroying Mill Creek Park. For the residents who live near the park, this is a matter of keeping drilling rigs out of their residential living space. Fracking and related processes jeopardize the public health and safety and are not in the public interest. To permit fracking related drilling near homes, schools, parks, cemeteries, or forests is simply unconscionable and must be stopped. Evidence that some officials are not protecting the public interest is the astonishing news that a fracking well has been permitted about a mile from a nuclear facility in Shippingport, PA, “ said Lynn Anderson, co-founder of the Facebook group Guardians of Mill Creek Park http://www.facebook.com/groups/guardiansmillcreek/.
See: “Permit to drill is only a mile from nuclear plant,” by Rachel Morgan, 10/20/12, Timesonline.com, http://www.timesonline.com/permit-to-drill-is-only-a-mile-from-nuclear-plant/article_12b10f0b-6b5b-5045-aaf8-582260c9fa80.html
Frackfree Mahoning Valley says it is important that park commissioners and the public fully understand the high risk of leaks, spills, mechanical failures, drinking water contamination, and earthquakes associated with fracking and related processes. Even before fracking ramps up in this area, there have been accidents, including the 5-mile long so-called “brine” waste spill in Fowler and the fish kill in Brookfield.
For media inquiries or more information, e-mail:
frackfreemahoning@gmail.com or call: 234-201-0402
www.frackfreemahoning.blogspot.com
Also see:
Frackfree America National Coalition
www.frackfreeamerica.org
e-mail: frackfreeamerica@gmail.com call: 234-201-8007
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Frackfree
# # #
Join & SHARE facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/events/254225554700853/
MAIL-IN comments:
Public comment on leasing mineral rights in park -
Mill Creek Park/MetroParks Office
PO BOX 596, Canfield, OH, 44406
www.frackfreemahoning.blogspot.com/ permanent link: http://www.frackfreeamerica.org/1/post/2012/10/youngstown-ohios-historic-mill-creek-park-threatened-with-fracking-oil-gas-drilling-urgent-hearing-oct-25-2012.html
______________________________________________________
For Immediate Release: October 22, 2012
Contact: Susie Beiersdorfer: Phone: 234-201-0402 or E-mail: frackfreemahoning@gmail.com
______________________________________________________
YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO’S HISTORIC MILL CREEK PARK FACES THREAT OF FRACKING AND OIL AND GAS DRILLING: GROUPS URGE THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND A PUBLIC MEETING THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2012, AT MILL CREEK METRO PARKS FARM TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS, HEAR SPEAKERS
Youngstown, Ohio, 10/22/12 – Youngstown’s beautiful, historic Mill Creek Park is facing the threat of fracking and gas and oil drilling. Park commissioners are having public meetings to gather information to help them decide whether or not to greenlight fracking in Mill Creek Park.
Concerned citizens of Frackfree Mahoning Valley and Guardians of Mill Creek Park are urging the public to attend an important public meeting on October 25, 2012, at Mill Creek MetroParks Farm 7574 Columbiana-Canfield Rd. Canfield, OH 44406 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
Scheduled speakers at the October 25th meeting are: Ohio State Representative Bob Hagan, Dr. Ted Voneida (neurobiology), Dr. Ray Beiersdorfer, Ph.D, professor of geology. Dr. Voneida and Dr. Beiersdorfer will speak about geology and chemicals that are vented at fracked wells and the adverse effects they have on the environment and health.
“If you care about the park and our surrounding area, we urge you to please come and hear the speakers and voice your concerns to stop fracking from destroying Mill Creek Park. For the residents who live near the park, this is a matter of keeping drilling rigs out of their residential living space. Fracking and related processes jeopardize the public health and safety and are not in the public interest. To permit fracking related drilling near homes, schools, parks, cemeteries, or forests is simply unconscionable and must be stopped. Evidence that some officials are not protecting the public interest is the astonishing news that a fracking well has been permitted about a mile from a nuclear facility in Shippingport, PA, “ said Lynn Anderson, co-founder of the Facebook group Guardians of Mill Creek Park http://www.facebook.com/groups/guardiansmillcreek/.
See: “Permit to drill is only a mile from nuclear plant,” by Rachel Morgan, 10/20/12, Timesonline.com, http://www.timesonline.com/permit-to-drill-is-only-a-mile-from-nuclear-plant/article_12b10f0b-6b5b-5045-aaf8-582260c9fa80.html
Frackfree Mahoning Valley says it is important that park commissioners and the public fully understand the high risk of leaks, spills, mechanical failures, drinking water contamination, and earthquakes associated with fracking and related processes. Even before fracking ramps up in this area, there have been accidents, including the 5-mile long so-called “brine” waste spill in Fowler and the fish kill in Brookfield.
For media inquiries or more information, e-mail:
frackfreemahoning@gmail.com or call: 234-201-0402
www.frackfreemahoning.blogspot.com
Also see:
Frackfree America National Coalition
www.frackfreeamerica.org
e-mail: frackfreeamerica@gmail.com call: 234-201-8007
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Frackfree
# # #
Join & SHARE facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/events/254225554700853/
MAIL-IN comments:
Public comment on leasing mineral rights in park -
Mill Creek Park/MetroParks Office
PO BOX 596, Canfield, OH, 44406
click to view larger
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CLICK to enlarge
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Fracking Rig Drive-through Held By Concerned Citizens of Mahoning Watershed
You have to see it to believe it!
UPDATE! Video from Oct. 14 blockade of 2 wells drilled in Meander Reservoir protected area
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLTGWpYhZlU 3 min., Blockade at Meander Reservoir Fracking Wells
Blockade at Meander Reservoir Fracking Well on Sunday, October 14, activists with Frackfree Mahoning Valley protested this well site and formed a blockade at the entrance of the site, refusing to move. They arrived at 10:30 a.m. and after more than four hours of blockading the entrance, activists decided to peacefully resolve the blockade with no arrests or confrontations. Fracking contaminates ground and surface water. An internal industry report found that six percent of wells have leaks immediately upon completion. Fracking uses a secret blend of toxic chemicals to shatter rocks deep within the Earth. Those chemicals can contaminate the water through negligence and through mechanical failure. No matter the safety record of a company—in this case Console Energy—wells fail, and overtime all wells break, becoming sources for water contamination. The Cadle fracking well site sits less than 100′ from a stream—a direct tributary of the Meander Reservoir. The Ohio EPA is responsible for the environmentally protected zone. The ODNR should have consulted with the Ohio EPA before granting the permit for this well. This action comes just days before Youngstown City Council will decide whether or not to lease city lands for fracking.
UPDATE |||
A group plans to protest the horizontal well being drilled in Jackson Township beginning at 10:45 a.m. Sunday, Oct 14, 2012. The Cadle well has been drilled within the environmentally protected zone that protects the Meander Reservoir f rom contamination. The well is located on Blott Road just east of the intersection with South Bailey Road. The protest is organized by Frackfree Mahoning Valley and will include students and professors from Youngstown State and Kent State universities, Oberlin and Hiram colleges, and University of Akron. MORE: http://www.facebook.com/events/416137221775675
Concerned Citizens Mahoning Valley Watershed Hold Drive-Through at Fracking Gas Drilling Rig, Thurs., Sept.. 27, 5-6pm
There is now a horizontal fracking rig in the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District's Drinking Water Protection Area. It has been placed on the banks of a stream that runs directly into Meander Reservoir.
A DRIVE-THROUGH
is being held Thurs., Sept. 27, 5-6pm (or by appointment)
where rig information will be distributed,
along with contact information which may be used to inquire
as to whether the district, the emergency responders and the operators are prepared for a blow-out.
If you are a water customer in Niles, Youngstown, Girard, Austintown, Boardman or Canfield-
you must
SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT!
http://goo.gl/maps/WWAuK MAP
MAP (coordinates 41.0743127586642,-80.8826439770882 )
(coordinates 41.0743127586642,-80.8826439770882 )
You have to see it to believe it!
UPDATE! Video from Oct. 14 blockade of 2 wells drilled in Meander Reservoir protected area
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLTGWpYhZlU 3 min., Blockade at Meander Reservoir Fracking Wells
Blockade at Meander Reservoir Fracking Well on Sunday, October 14, activists with Frackfree Mahoning Valley protested this well site and formed a blockade at the entrance of the site, refusing to move. They arrived at 10:30 a.m. and after more than four hours of blockading the entrance, activists decided to peacefully resolve the blockade with no arrests or confrontations. Fracking contaminates ground and surface water. An internal industry report found that six percent of wells have leaks immediately upon completion. Fracking uses a secret blend of toxic chemicals to shatter rocks deep within the Earth. Those chemicals can contaminate the water through negligence and through mechanical failure. No matter the safety record of a company—in this case Console Energy—wells fail, and overtime all wells break, becoming sources for water contamination. The Cadle fracking well site sits less than 100′ from a stream—a direct tributary of the Meander Reservoir. The Ohio EPA is responsible for the environmentally protected zone. The ODNR should have consulted with the Ohio EPA before granting the permit for this well. This action comes just days before Youngstown City Council will decide whether or not to lease city lands for fracking.
UPDATE |||
A group plans to protest the horizontal well being drilled in Jackson Township beginning at 10:45 a.m. Sunday, Oct 14, 2012. The Cadle well has been drilled within the environmentally protected zone that protects the Meander Reservoir f rom contamination. The well is located on Blott Road just east of the intersection with South Bailey Road. The protest is organized by Frackfree Mahoning Valley and will include students and professors from Youngstown State and Kent State universities, Oberlin and Hiram colleges, and University of Akron. MORE: http://www.facebook.com/events/416137221775675
Concerned Citizens Mahoning Valley Watershed Hold Drive-Through at Fracking Gas Drilling Rig, Thurs., Sept.. 27, 5-6pm
There is now a horizontal fracking rig in the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District's Drinking Water Protection Area. It has been placed on the banks of a stream that runs directly into Meander Reservoir.
A DRIVE-THROUGH
is being held Thurs., Sept. 27, 5-6pm (or by appointment)
where rig information will be distributed,
along with contact information which may be used to inquire
as to whether the district, the emergency responders and the operators are prepared for a blow-out.
If you are a water customer in Niles, Youngstown, Girard, Austintown, Boardman or Canfield-
you must
SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT!
http://goo.gl/maps/WWAuK MAP
MAP (coordinates 41.0743127586642,-80.8826439770882 )
(coordinates 41.0743127586642,-80.8826439770882 )
TODAY 5-6pm, Thurs. Sept. 27, Mahoning County, Ohio, Fracking Rig Drive-through Held By Concerned Citizens of Mahoning Watershed - PLS SHARE - You have to see it to believe it! - Concerned Citizens Mahoning Valley Watershed Hold Drive-Through at Fracking Gas Drilling Rig, Thurs., Sept.. 27, 5-6pm MAP AT LINK >>
There is now a horizontal fracking rig in the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District's Drinking Water Protection Area. It has been placed on the banks of a stream that runs directly into Meander Reservoir. - A DRIVE-THROUGH is being held Thurs., Sept. 27, 5-6pm (or by appointment) where rig information will be distributed, along with contact information which may be used to inquire as to whether the district, the emergency responders and the operators are prepared for a blow-out. If you are a water customer in Niles, Youngstown, Girard, Austintown, Boardman or Canfield, Ohio - you must SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT! http://frackfreemahoning.blogspot.com/2012/09/mahoning-fracking-rig-drive-through.html http://goo.gl/maps/WWAuK MAP
MAP (coordinates 41.0743127586642,-80.8826439770882 ) (coordinates 41.0743127586642,-80.8826439770882 ) well info from permit list: County: MAHONING #aAMY0001529 8/24/2012 Lot: 34 Sec: none Quad: LAKE MILTON ----------------------------- CADLE MAHN7CHSU CNX GAS COMPANY LLC 200 EVERGREENE DRIVE WAYNESBURG, PA 15370 724-627-1246 --------------------------------- Exists: none Civil Twp: JACKSON Type: Plug back to horizontally drill Purpose: OG Rig: RTAF Formation(s): POINT PLEASANT Acreage: 159.52 XCoord: 2445902 YCoord: 516964 County Rd: none Ingress & Egress Township Rd: TR 160/BLOTT Municipal Rd: none State Rd: none |
TODAY 5-6pm, Thurs. Sept. 27, Mahoning County, Ohio, Fracking Rig Drive-through Held By Concerned Citizens of Mahoning Watershed - PLS SHARE - You have to see it to believe it! - Concerned Citizens Mahoning Valley Watershed Hold Drive-Through at Fracking Gas Drilling Rig, Thurs., Sept.. 27, 5-6pm MAP AT LINK >>
There is now a horizontal fracking rig in the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District's Drinking Water Protection Area. It has been placed on the banks of a stream that runs directly into Meander Reservoir. - A DRIVE-THROUGH is being held Thurs., Sept. 27, 5-6pm (or by appointment) where rig information will be distributed, along with contact information which may be used to inquire as to whether the district, the emergency responders and the operators are prepared for a blow-out. If you are a water customer in Niles, Youngstown, Girard, Austintown, Boardman or Canfield, Ohio - you must SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT! http://frackfreemahoning.blogspot.com/2012/09/mahoning-fracking-rig-drive-through.html |
Concerned Citizens Greet the Y.O.U.N.G 2012 Attendees With Coupons, Express Concern Over Burgeoning Toxic Waste
Concerned citizens were on hand to greet returning Y.O.U.N.G Utica shale conference attendees by distributing materials using the industry's own spin.
Reflecting industry's misleading information, the welcoming vouchers listed local drinks such as the Cappuccino-defracka and Malignant Melanoma Latte'. Another coupon that could be redeemed for a bottle of Dawn dish soap highlighted the misconception that fracking and drilling fluids are non-toxic. "BP Donates ONE Cow To The Hungry!" read another voucher revealing that the oil company purchased and donated the meat of one cow to the Warren food bank in exchange for threatening all the farmland and water supplies of the entire county with its questionable industry practices.
Up the highway from the conference center, citizens from the Valley drew attention to a newly constructed injection well in Girard, Ohio, and to the proposal to begin using it after remedial construction to its depth. This is one of the 2,456 Class II UIC wells in Ohio that accept toxic fracking wastewater.
On September 12, 2012 a national coalition of local coordinators and groups in communities across America will hold simultaneous rallies throughout the day to shine light on the numerous problems associated with toxic fracking waste of all kinds and its disposal, including its links to earthquakes, spills, leaks and contamination."
Concerned citizens were on hand to greet returning Y.O.U.N.G Utica shale conference attendees by distributing materials using the industry's own spin.
Reflecting industry's misleading information, the welcoming vouchers listed local drinks such as the Cappuccino-defracka and Malignant Melanoma Latte'. Another coupon that could be redeemed for a bottle of Dawn dish soap highlighted the misconception that fracking and drilling fluids are non-toxic. "BP Donates ONE Cow To The Hungry!" read another voucher revealing that the oil company purchased and donated the meat of one cow to the Warren food bank in exchange for threatening all the farmland and water supplies of the entire county with its questionable industry practices.
Up the highway from the conference center, citizens from the Valley drew attention to a newly constructed injection well in Girard, Ohio, and to the proposal to begin using it after remedial construction to its depth. This is one of the 2,456 Class II UIC wells in Ohio that accept toxic fracking wastewater.
On September 12, 2012 a national coalition of local coordinators and groups in communities across America will hold simultaneous rallies throughout the day to shine light on the numerous problems associated with toxic fracking waste of all kinds and its disposal, including its links to earthquakes, spills, leaks and contamination."
Concerned citizens were on hand to greet returning Y.O.U.N.G Utica shale conference attendees by distributing materials using the industry's own spin.
Reflecting industry's misleading information, the welcoming vouchers listed local drinks such as the Cappuccino-defracka and Malignant Melanoma Latte'. Another coupon that could be redeemed for a bottle of Dawn dish soap highlighted the misconception that fracking and drilling fluids are non-toxic. "BP Donates ONE Cow To The Hungry!" read another voucher revealing that the oil company purchased and donated the meat of one cow to the Warren food bank in exchange for threatening all the farmland and water supplies of the entire county with its questionable industry practices.
Reflecting industry's misleading information, the welcoming vouchers listed local drinks such as the Cappuccino-defracka and Malignant Melanoma Latte'. Another coupon that could be redeemed for a bottle of Dawn dish soap highlighted the misconception that fracking and drilling fluids are non-toxic. "BP Donates ONE Cow To The Hungry!" read another voucher revealing that the oil company purchased and donated the meat of one cow to the Warren food bank in exchange for threatening all the farmland and water supplies of the entire county with its questionable industry practices.
photo by Debbie Wachter/news -- Lisa DeSantis of New Castle, dressed up as Mother Nature,
holds her anti-fracking sign in the air in protest of a shale drilling
site of Shell Appalachia in North Beaver Township.
holds her anti-fracking sign in the air in protest of a shale drilling
site of Shell Appalachia in North Beaver Township.
Pickets protest Marcellus drilling in North Beaver
“I’m personally upset over how (the city of New Castle) sold over 500 acres of my park for $2.2 million.” - Lisa DeSantis City resident
-----------------------
New Castle News (New Castle, PA) By Debbie Wachter, 13 Nov 2012
-----------------------
Demonstrators who lined Route 551 yesterday included a woman dressed like Mother Nature and holding an “SOS Fracking” sign. Lisa DeSantis of New Castle said she was dressed that way to show her concern about Marcellus Shale fracking, which has the potential to ruin water wells and the environment. “I’m personally upset over how they sold over 500 acres of my park for $2.2 million,” DeSantis said. She was referring to New Castle city council’s vote to accept Hilcorp Energy Co.’s offer of $2 million for leasing mineral rights of city-owned properties. Those are Cascade and Gaston parks, Deshon and Flaherty fields and Sylvan Heights golf course.
PICKET LINE
However, yesterday’s protest was mainly in opposition to a Shell Appalachia drilling site on property off Route 551 in North Beaver Township, less than a mile from an organic farm.
About 16 state police cruisers left the station around 9:30 a.m. for the well pad to keep order.
About 30 people holding anti-drilling and anti-fracking signs stood along the highway to gain public attention. The pickets had traveled from throughout Pennsylvania Saturday and camped the weekend on the lawn of organic farmers Dale and Maggie Henry of Columbiana Road. They shared information and planned for yesterday’s two-hour event, which formed around 11 a.m. and broke up when gusty winds whipped up in the early afternoon. The event was organized by the Shadbush Environmental Justice Collective, a Pittsburgh volunteer-run group interested in protecting the water, air and health.
SHOW OF SUPPORT
“We are here to support Maggie and Dale,” said Jessica McPherson, spokeswoman. “They are extremely concerned about the drilling and the impact
(the drilling) will have on the food that they provide.” Maggie Henry has been attending various shale-related and government meetings as an activist, sharing her concern about hundreds of abandoned gas wells dotting the western end of Lawrence County, several of which surround or are on her farm. She did not attend yesterday’s demonstration because she was sick.
There is great concern for the potential for water problems that could arise from drillers hitting those wells, McPherson, of Pittsburgh, said.
She regularly shops at the Strip District market where Henry sells her natural, organic farm products, McPherson said. Iris Marie Bloom of Philadelphia said she was there to support community safety. “I’ve been listening to people from impacted communities in Pennsylvania for three years,” she said, including Butler County residents whose drinking water was polluted by drilling. Ann Dixon, who also traveled from Philadelphia, commented, “This drilling affects everyone everywhere, because it’s reducing the amount of potable water.”
A PEACEFUL DAY
Joe Minnitte, a Shell case manager, was on site and said the protesters caused no real problems.
The protest also was peaceful in the eyes of the state police, who cautioned people to stand out of the way of trucks entering and exiting the drill site
and to stay off the highway.
The 27 officers and about 20 cruisers were staged in the Westview Presbyterian Church parking lot, and a state police helicopter from Franklin used
the churchyard as a landing zone. “We have a duty to protect their safety and protect the drilling business,” explained Sgt. Dan Ekis of the state police in New Castle. “Our primary goal was to keep the residents of this area safe and allow the business people around here to conduct their business. We need to balance that with their right to protest.” The detail had been in the planning since Wednesday last week. “It went exactly as we wanted it to go, and nobody got hurt,” Ekis said.
“I’m personally upset over how (the city of New Castle) sold over 500 acres of my park for $2.2 million.” - Lisa DeSantis City resident
-----------------------
New Castle News (New Castle, PA) By Debbie Wachter, 13 Nov 2012
-----------------------
Demonstrators who lined Route 551 yesterday included a woman dressed like Mother Nature and holding an “SOS Fracking” sign. Lisa DeSantis of New Castle said she was dressed that way to show her concern about Marcellus Shale fracking, which has the potential to ruin water wells and the environment. “I’m personally upset over how they sold over 500 acres of my park for $2.2 million,” DeSantis said. She was referring to New Castle city council’s vote to accept Hilcorp Energy Co.’s offer of $2 million for leasing mineral rights of city-owned properties. Those are Cascade and Gaston parks, Deshon and Flaherty fields and Sylvan Heights golf course.
PICKET LINE
However, yesterday’s protest was mainly in opposition to a Shell Appalachia drilling site on property off Route 551 in North Beaver Township, less than a mile from an organic farm.
About 16 state police cruisers left the station around 9:30 a.m. for the well pad to keep order.
About 30 people holding anti-drilling and anti-fracking signs stood along the highway to gain public attention. The pickets had traveled from throughout Pennsylvania Saturday and camped the weekend on the lawn of organic farmers Dale and Maggie Henry of Columbiana Road. They shared information and planned for yesterday’s two-hour event, which formed around 11 a.m. and broke up when gusty winds whipped up in the early afternoon. The event was organized by the Shadbush Environmental Justice Collective, a Pittsburgh volunteer-run group interested in protecting the water, air and health.
SHOW OF SUPPORT
“We are here to support Maggie and Dale,” said Jessica McPherson, spokeswoman. “They are extremely concerned about the drilling and the impact
(the drilling) will have on the food that they provide.” Maggie Henry has been attending various shale-related and government meetings as an activist, sharing her concern about hundreds of abandoned gas wells dotting the western end of Lawrence County, several of which surround or are on her farm. She did not attend yesterday’s demonstration because she was sick.
There is great concern for the potential for water problems that could arise from drillers hitting those wells, McPherson, of Pittsburgh, said.
She regularly shops at the Strip District market where Henry sells her natural, organic farm products, McPherson said. Iris Marie Bloom of Philadelphia said she was there to support community safety. “I’ve been listening to people from impacted communities in Pennsylvania for three years,” she said, including Butler County residents whose drinking water was polluted by drilling. Ann Dixon, who also traveled from Philadelphia, commented, “This drilling affects everyone everywhere, because it’s reducing the amount of potable water.”
A PEACEFUL DAY
Joe Minnitte, a Shell case manager, was on site and said the protesters caused no real problems.
The protest also was peaceful in the eyes of the state police, who cautioned people to stand out of the way of trucks entering and exiting the drill site
and to stay off the highway.
The 27 officers and about 20 cruisers were staged in the Westview Presbyterian Church parking lot, and a state police helicopter from Franklin used
the churchyard as a landing zone. “We have a duty to protect their safety and protect the drilling business,” explained Sgt. Dan Ekis of the state police in New Castle. “Our primary goal was to keep the residents of this area safe and allow the business people around here to conduct their business. We need to balance that with their right to protest.” The detail had been in the planning since Wednesday last week. “It went exactly as we wanted it to go, and nobody got hurt,” Ekis said.
