Fracking Columbus

“Columbus is safe from Fracking. It’s all happening out in eastern Ohio, right?”

Ever looked at a map of the Utica Shale play?
While most Shale Gas development (Fracking) is dialing back because of the glut of supply and low price of natural gas, Ohio’s Utica shale play is ramping up. According to Chris Doyle, executive vice president of operations for Chesapeake Energy's northern division, “It comes down to capital efficiency,” he said. “Chesapeake, like most other oil and gas drillers in Ohio, has had to significantly reduce its rig count and planned capital expenses nationwide for 2015 because of the fall in commodity prices. It plans to spend 37 percent less than last year, although a quarter of its spending is dedicated to the Utica, up from 10 percent a year ago…When we think Utica, we think Ohio…We divested all of our West Virginia acreage and see the greatest potential in Ohio.” http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/ohio-energy-inc/2015/03/chesape...

“Hold on. I should know, but what is Fracking?”

It’s drilling for natural gas. In the Ohio Utica shale, Industry (Oil & Gas) drills down vertically (3-14,000 feet), then the drill bit turns horizontally and drills through the black shale for distances up to a mile. Then they employ explosives to blast open cracks in the shale, force at extremely high pressure millions of gallons of water (5-10mill), toxic chemicals (neurotoxins, carcinogens and endocrine disruptors) and silica sand, to prop the cracks open, and extract the natural gas. Up to 60 percent of the fracked water comes back up, and has to be disposed of - because it’s too hazardous to release back into the water cycle. So they inject this liquid frack waste into Class II injection wells, which are not designed to handle radioactive waste (fracking black shales releases existing radioactive elements into the flowback water).

“We’re in Columbus, what are you worried about?”

  There are 13 Active Class II Injection Wells in the Columbus area Watershed. This radioactive, toxic Frack Waste liquid is injected at high volumes under high pressure into the earth. There are no stainless steel holding tanks at the bottom, just geological layers of earth, dirt, rock - none of which is static - all of which can shift. And with more injection wells, comes earthquakes. Just look to Oklahoma. Last year they had 4,000 seismic incidents, where 2 years ago, there were an insignificant number. These earthquake clusters have expounded in number and magnitude, and are linked to high volume/high pressure injection wells for oil & gas waste.
  Ohio is experiencing earthquakes from Fracking too. Dr. Ray Beiersdorfer, Professor of Geology, Dept. of Geological & Environmental Sciences, Youngstown State University, reported there were over 1,000 seismic incidents in Ohio, related to fracking and frack waste injection wells.
  “Prior to shale gas development, the state of Ohio had suffered slightly over 200 felt earthquakes since 1776. Many of them were near Anna, Ohio which sits on an extension of Illinois’ New Madrid and Wabash Valley seismic zones. Since 2011 three Ohio counties, all aseismic, have suffered over 1,000 positive magnitude earthquakes. All of the earthquakes were human induced due to fracking for shale gas or injection of liquid frackwaste.” http://frackfreemahoning.blogspot.com/2014/11/scientists-link-over-1000-earthquakes.html

“The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is watching out for us!”

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issued a permit to a local business to recycle solid Frack Waste, called Drill Cuttings. Meanwhile the General Assembly, with the stroke of a pen, redefined Frack Waste Drill Cuttings from TENORM (technically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material) to NORM (naturally occurring radioactive material), thus taking away all requirement to test and regulate radioactivity. And, according to Dr. Julie Weatherington-Rice, OSU Dept. of Food, Ag. & Bio Engineering, Bennet & Williams Environmental Consultants Inc., Black Shales are radioactive, with Radium 226, 228, which are bone seeking radionuclides linked with breast cancer, bone cancer and leukemia. And Radium 226 is highly water soluble, so when Black Shale drill cuttings are “processed” or used “beneficially” - Radium will wash into, seep into, leach into ground water, and the air from dust particles. And now, because of the redefinition of Frack Drill Cuttings, they can be dumped into any of our municipal landfills with no precaution or regulation to monitor radioactivity.
In addition, Craig Butler, Governor John Kasich's newly appointed Director of the Ohio EPA, was Kasich’s former liaison to Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). At the October, 2014, Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission Annual Conference in Columbus, Butler confided in his presentation, that his job is about “streamlining permitting”, to develop a general permit to move operations very rapidly.

“They wouldn’t put a frack well in town - in a suburb - next to the Capital?”

Look north to Broadview Heights, an affluent suburb of Cleveland. They currently have 87 oil and gas wells in their community. In 2012, Broadview Heights citizens passed a Bill of Rights to prevent more oil and gas wells from being drilled in their backyards and next to their schools. And Bass Energy Inc. and Ohio Valley Energy Systems Corp sued them. Their argument is that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), gave them a permit.* It doesn’t matter what the people of Broadview Heights want. If a neighbor wants to drill and the ODNR permits it, there is no stopping it.

*In 2004, Ohio House Bill 278 passed. It took away all local control from cities, villages and townships and put the State of Ohio (ODNR), in control of regulating and permitting oil and gas well drilling anywhere in the State of Ohio.

“This is serious!”

You need to be concerned about the 13 Active radioactive, toxic Frack Waste in our Watershed, concerned that earthquakes will grow in number and magnitude in Ohio, concerned that our municipal landfills are taking potentially highly radioactive frack drill cuttings, without testing, to leak into our ground water and water supply. Concerned that our Governor’s ambition, our law makers’ campaign donation interests have blinded them to the environmental, public health, property and human rights devastation that the Fracking industry is dealing to Ohio Communities. Concerned that you, your neighbors, our Columbus Public Health Director, our City Council, our Mayor, has no say about Fracking drilling and dumping in our city, because Local Control was taken away from us and given to a captured State Agency.

“What can I do, if the Governor, General Assembly and Big Money are for Fracking?”

Help pass the the Columbus Community Bill of Rights. This two page Charter Amendment for the City of Columbus will help our community stand for and protect our inalienable rights for: Pure Water, Clean Air, Safe Soil, and Local Control over oil & gas drilling & dumping.

*See Bill of Rights language at: ColumbusBillofRights.org.

“Who is organizing the Columbus Community Bill of Rights?”

The Columbus Community Bill of Rights campaign is organized by an all volunteer group of Columbus area citizens, working with legal advice by the non-profit organization, The Community Legal Defense Fund (celdf.org).

“What can I do?”

We must collect 10,000 valid Columbus Voter signatures by July 1, 2015, (deadline to get this on the November, 2016 Columbus Ballot).

We welcome your help - All skill sets and experience - Contact us Today.

Information: ColumbusBillofRights.org