The Columbus Community Bill of Rights campaign turned in more than double the number of signatures required to secure proposed ordinance on November’s ballot on Tuesday, June 26. The citizen-led Columbus Community Bill of Rights, a city ordinance, restores Columbus citizens’ Rights to protect their water, air and soil from oil & gas drilling, toxic and radioactive waste and infrastructure within the city of Columbus. This city ordinance disallows road spreading of oil & gas produced brines within city limits. Recent reports show these products to contain radium-226 amounts in excess of 500 times the EPA’s drinking water limit. The proposed ordinance also ensures Columbus citizens legal teeth to hold corporations liable for hazardous oil and gas activities from neighboring municipalities should these activities harm the water, air or soil of Columbus.    With 13 active frack waste injection wells, and four more permitted in the Upper Scioto Watershed (Columbus’ water source), Central Ohioans recognize that they must take action to protect the health and safety of their environment.  The majority of the Upper Scioto Watershed injection wells are abandoned vertical oil wells with no holding tank to contain the waste.  In addition, the State of Ohio has recently permitted the oil & gas industry to dump potentially highly-radioactive frack drill cuttings in a landfill located within the city of Columbus - without testing for radioactivity.   Historically, Ohioans have had local control over decisions regarding oil and gas activities.  That changed in 2004, when state lawmakers gave complete jurisdiction to ODNR (the Ohio Department of Natural Resources), a department that also takes funds for frack drilling and dumping of frack waste.  This toxic radioactive frack waste (liquid & solid) comes from Ohio oil & gas activities, and from neighboring states, i.e. Pennsylvania and West Virginia.  Recent State plans for an $83 billion petrochemical complex on the Ohio River will dramatically increase frack waste disposal in our State.  We must ensure now that we protect our local water, air and soil.   The Columbus Community Bill of Rights, when adopted by Columbus voters in November, 2018, will restore Columbus citizens’ inalienable rights for local self-governance, regarding oil and gas activities, to ensure the safety of their water, air, soil, and their rights for a sustainable energy future.     Read the Bill of Rights language at www.ColumbusBillofRights.org.

  Contact:  Carolyn Harding - (614) 893-6314

Bill Lyons - (614) 551-6194