They did it.
Last night Ohio’s State Assembly passed Senate Bill 315, what will be one of the worst fracking laws in the nation.
The bill heading to Gov. Kasich’s desk fails to reinvest in Ohio communities, fails to adequately protect them from the toxic impacts of the fracking industry, and fails to help Ohio address the growing climate crisis.
It means that Ohio will allow bigger health and safety loopholes and ask the gas industry to pay less than almost any other state in the country, exposing our communities to the worst excesses of the fracking industry. Doctors will be prevented from talking openly about the sickness they see seeping into our water, and the gas industry will keep all of the profits flowing out of our communities.
The rumblings you hear when this bill is signed is not the sound of another injection well caused earthquake (though another is now likely inevitable) – it is the rumblings of a backlash against the politicians who have been bought out with millions of dollars of the gas industry’s money, and have chosen to sacrifice Ohio in return.
Those rumblings will become an uproar next month when we take over the streets and statehouse in Columbus to tell Gov. Kasich: Don’t Frack Ohio! If we want Gov. Kasich to get the message, we need to make this action big. Can you help us take this action to the next level by reaching out to your social networks, and your community?
Share the news about SB 315 with your social networks:
Click here to share on Facebook -- Click here to share on Twitter
Also, folks across the state are fanning out into their communities to spread the word about the action. We're coordinating outreach captains to blanket the state with information before the action in June - if you can help mobilize your community for the action in June, click here to let us know.
The industry has told Ohioans to prepare for thousands of new wells beginning as soon as they can get away with. Here are some of the worst things about this bill that you need to know:
Key portions of the bill were written, word for word, by the gas industry. Gov. Kasich and the fracking industry's biggest supporters adopted model legislation proposed by the industry to set disclosure and key safety rules.
Fracking companies can hide which chemicals they use in the fracking process by calling them 'trade secrets'. That means they are exempt from telling you what they put in your water. What little they do disclose is 60 days after drilling takes place, too late for communities to test to show what was in their water before drilling, rendering the disclosure meaningless.
The gas industry pays nothing for the mess they create. Gov. Kasich's minor tax on individual wells is offset by new tax breaks on property taxes and other giveaways, which means the gas industry will pay less in Ohio taxes than they do in any other state in the country.
No citizen notification or input will be allowed on any part of the fracking industry. There is no public notice, no public comment, and no right to appeal for drill sites, pipelines, or compressor stations.
On June 17th, let's show him that there are consequences for casting your lot with the gas industry as the world warms. We'll be taking over the statehouse to send an unmistakable message to him and the other bought-and-sold politicians that we won't let them frack Ohio.
See you there,
-Duncan
Sources:
"Kasich allows oil & gas industry to write portions of fracking legislation" Plunderbund, May 23, 2012
"Ohio Drilling Regulations Would Bar Doctors From Publicly Revealing Chemicals" AP, May 23, 2012
"Senate Fracking Bill is Chock Full of Loopholes" Don't Frack Ohio, May 22nd, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
NEOGAP's Linda Zmek To Address Auburn Township Trustees at Auburn Township Meeting-- 7:15 PM, Monday, May 21
All,
You are cordially invited to the Auburn Township public Trustee Meeting at 7:15 PM on
Monday, May 21. As always, the meeting will take place at 11010 East Washington Street, at the corner of East Washington St. and Auburn Road. All three Trustees have demonstrated an attitude of indifference toward taxpayer concerns about fracking, in spite of responses of disapproval of their actions by local editors.
We hope that you are able to be present to draw your own conclusions as the topic of fracking becomes a hot issue for Geauga County.
We look forward to your presence and your important moral support.
Sincerely,
Diane and Tom Jones
A Wind in the Woods
Auburn Township, OH 44023
P.S. If at all possible, please contact Linda Zmek at 440-543-5008 to let her know that you will be there to praise her important efforts.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Ashtabula County Commissions Meeting on Fracking
To all those concerned with fracking and the safety issues raised by the prospect of horizontal drilling:
Per a posting on the bulletin board at the Auburn Township Administration Building, home to Trustee meetings, the following meeting with the Ashtabula County Commissioners will take place
Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 10:30 AM
Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners
Second Floor, Old Courthouse
25 West Jefferson Street
Jefferson, Ohio 44047
Questions: ema@ashtabulacounty.us
Respectfully submitted to all concerned citizens and taxpayers,
Tom and Diane Jones
www.auburntownship.us
Per a posting on the bulletin board at the Auburn Township Administration Building, home to Trustee meetings, the following meeting with the Ashtabula County Commissioners will take place
Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 10:30 AM
Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners
Second Floor, Old Courthouse
25 West Jefferson Street
Jefferson, Ohio 44047
Questions: ema@ashtabulacounty.us
Respectfully submitted to all concerned citizens and taxpayers,
Tom and Diane Jones
www.auburntownship.us
From 350.org DON’T FRACK OHIO
Beginning this weekend, in the lead-up to the huge antifracking mobilization in June, Don’t Frack Ohio organizers will be traveling around the state holding meetups with community members to strengthen the local movements against fracking and to build the energy for our statewide convergence in June.
See below for the “suggested” strategy session location for your county. (Specific locations listed at the bottom of this email.) Click here to sign up for a strategy session: http://www.dontfrackoh.org/strategy-sessions/
Each stop will be different, but here’s roughly what we have planned:
- Presentations on why this fight matters, and the state of fracking in Ohio.
- Conversations with local activists about how we can take action in our communities before the big action in June.
- Training and discussion on how to take on the industry across the state.
- Planning for how to make the action in June HUGE.
A draft press advisory that you can copy and paste and then edit with the details of your community's Don't Frack Ohio strategy session can be found at:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HGQ4yly-3hAWS8lN07Oju5wBo1EMJn_aQL5UH-hMw3w/edit
The first line of the press release says it all:
On May (INSERT DATE), Don’t Frack Ohio organizers will join with (INSERT ORG) at (INSERT PLACE) to bring increased attention to the damage fracking is causing in the state and to build momentum for the largest action against fracking in the country’s history, scheduled for June 17th in Columbus.
Want to be part of the biggest state-wide rally? Go to: www.dontfrackoh.org
And, don’t forget to click here to sign up for a strategy session: http://www.dontfrackoh.org/strategy-sessions/
May 12th
Cincinnati
10am - 1 pm
Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church
103 William Howard Taft Road
Cincinnati, OH 45219
May 13th
Athens
2 pm - 5 pm
Ohio University, Margaret M Walter Hall
Room 135
Athens, OH 45701
May 14th
Youngstown
6 pm - 9 pm
Unitarian Universalist Church
1105 Elm St.
Youngstown, OH 44505
May 15th
Canton
6 pm - 9 pm
YWCA of Canton
231 Sixth Street NE
Canton, OH 44702
May 16th
Jefferson
6 pm - 9 pm
Jefferson Community Center
(Ashtabula County)
11 East Jefferson Street
Jefferson, OH 44047
May 17th
Cleveland
6 pm - 9 pm
West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church
20401 Hilliard Blvd
Rocky River, OH 44116
May 18th
Mansfield
6 pm - 9 pm
The Armory
170 Ashland Rd.
Mansfield, OH
May 19th
Oberlin
2 pm - 5 pm
Peace Community Church
44 Eat Lorain Street
Oberlin, OH 44074
May 20th
Columbus
2 pm - 5 pm
Ohio Student Union
1730 N High S
Columbus OH 43210
1st Floor, US Bank Conference Theater
Danny Berchenko
350.org Ohio Organizer
513-417-2562
Join 350 Ohio on Facebook
Follow 350 Ohio on Twitter
Beginning this weekend, in the lead-up to the huge antifracking mobilization in June, Don’t Frack Ohio organizers will be traveling around the state holding meetups with community members to strengthen the local movements against fracking and to build the energy for our statewide convergence in June.
See below for the “suggested” strategy session location for your county. (Specific locations listed at the bottom of this email.) Click here to sign up for a strategy session: http://www.dontfrackoh.org/strategy-sessions/
Each stop will be different, but here’s roughly what we have planned:
- Presentations on why this fight matters, and the state of fracking in Ohio.
- Conversations with local activists about how we can take action in our communities before the big action in June.
- Training and discussion on how to take on the industry across the state.
- Planning for how to make the action in June HUGE.
A draft press advisory that you can copy and paste and then edit with the details of your community's Don't Frack Ohio strategy session can be found at:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HGQ4yly-3hAWS8lN07Oju5wBo1EMJn_aQL5UH-hMw3w/edit
The first line of the press release says it all:
On May (INSERT DATE), Don’t Frack Ohio organizers will join with (INSERT ORG) at (INSERT PLACE) to bring increased attention to the damage fracking is causing in the state and to build momentum for the largest action against fracking in the country’s history, scheduled for June 17th in Columbus.
Want to be part of the biggest state-wide rally? Go to: www.dontfrackoh.org
And, don’t forget to click here to sign up for a strategy session: http://www.dontfrackoh.org/strategy-sessions/
May 12th
Cincinnati
10am - 1 pm
Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church
103 William Howard Taft Road
Cincinnati, OH 45219
May 13th
Athens
2 pm - 5 pm
Ohio University, Margaret M Walter Hall
Room 135
Athens, OH 45701
May 14th
Youngstown
6 pm - 9 pm
Unitarian Universalist Church
1105 Elm St.
Youngstown, OH 44505
May 15th
Canton
6 pm - 9 pm
YWCA of Canton
231 Sixth Street NE
Canton, OH 44702
May 16th
Jefferson
6 pm - 9 pm
Jefferson Community Center
(Ashtabula County)
11 East Jefferson Street
Jefferson, OH 44047
May 17th
Cleveland
6 pm - 9 pm
West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church
20401 Hilliard Blvd
Rocky River, OH 44116
May 18th
Mansfield
6 pm - 9 pm
The Armory
170 Ashland Rd.
Mansfield, OH
May 19th
Oberlin
2 pm - 5 pm
Peace Community Church
44 Eat Lorain Street
Oberlin, OH 44074
May 20th
Columbus
2 pm - 5 pm
Ohio Student Union
1730 N High S
Columbus OH 43210
1st Floor, US Bank Conference Theater
Danny Berchenko
350.org Ohio Organizer
513-417-2562
Join 350 Ohio on Facebook
Follow 350 Ohio on Twitter
Drilling rules expand ‘fracking’ disclosures
Oil and gas drillers would have to disclose more details about the chemicals they use in Utica shale wells under a bill that passed the Ohio Senate yesterday.
Even as lawmakers, drilling regulators and industry officials praised the plan as the toughest in the nation, environmental-advocacy groups said the bill would still allow companies to withhold information about “fracking” chemicals by calling them trade secrets.
“The concern should be what’s best for Ohio and Ohioans, not whether we are better than any other state,” said Trent Dougherty, an attorney with the Ohio Environmental Council.
Supporters said the bill, which passed 27-6, is praiseworthy because it requires companies to report what chemicals they use while drilling through rock layers that contain groundwater.
“That is the most likely to cause environmental damage or to affect someone’s water supply,” Senate President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, said during debate. “We have done a great deal to require disclosure.”
The bill is the latest attempt to revise state oversight of the oil and gas industry in the midst of a shale-drilling boom.
Energy companies and geologists say the Utica shale holds a vast reservoir of oil and gas, one that could help create thousands of new jobs for Ohioans. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources officials estimate that 2,250 wells will be drilled through 2015.
However, environmental groups say that fracking poses a pollution threat to streams and drinking-water supplies. The process injects millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals below ground to fracture the shale and free trapped oil and gas.
While the bill would require drilling companies to identify where they would get the water needed to frack their wells, lawmakers removed or changed several restrictions that had been proposed by Natural Resources officials.
A proposal to increase state fees on fracking wastewater from other states that is shipped to Ohio disposal wells was removed. The fee would have increased from 20 cents to $1 per barrel.
Lawmakers removed a measure that would have required companies to identify trade-secret fracking chemicals to firefighters and “first responders” called to emergencies at drill sites.
The bill instead would provide that information to doctors who are treating people who might be sickened by a chemical. But the bill would bar doctors from sharing that information for any purpose “that is not related to the diagnosis or treatment of an individual.”
Natural Resources officials said they support the bill despite those changes.
“It is a significant step forward in terms of regulating new shale wells in Ohio,” said Carlo LoParo, an agency spokesman.
Some Democrats were critical of the bill before the vote. Sen. Joe Schiavoni, D-Canfield, said the bill should have included measures that allow for public notice and comment before the state approves a drilling permit for a new well.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Chesapeake Unhurt with new loan
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Chesapeake Energy Corp. CEO Aubrey McClendon said that a
$3 billion loan from Goldman Sachs Group and Jefferies Group gives the company
breathing room to complete asset sales it so desperately needs to pay off heavy
debt, and to help its transition toward developing its liquids gas
portfolio.
"It takes money to make money, and that's the case here," McClendon told investors and analysts during a conference call Monday.
The $3 billion loan would help repay money Chesapeake borrowed on its revolving line of credit, McClendon said. The injection of new capital would also allow the company to finish asset transactions scheduled for this year.
"We now have substantially enhanced our liquidity, and that will ensure that we can conduct our asset monetization transactions from a position of strength," McClendon said.
Chesapeake is looking to sell between $9.5 billion and $11 billion worth of assets this year. Some of that money would be used to pay off the $3 billion loan.
"Those transactions remain on track," McClendon said, dispelling rumors that a potential sale of the company's positions in the Permian and Mississippi line basins were in jeopardy. The company expects to complete those transactions sometime during the third quarter.
On Friday, Chesapeake's stock dropped 14% after the company filed a report that cautioned of a possible delay in asset sales. The company did put on hold a $1 billion volumetric production payment, or VPP, in the Eagle Ford shale in Texas, in which Chesapeake sells production of a well in advance to investors.
McClendon is at the center of a storm of shareholder criticism in the wake of reports that detailed perks granted to the CEO through a well participation program that allowed him to invest up to 2.5% in each well the company drilled. McClendon used his stakes in these wells to secure more than $1 billion in personal loans.
Chesapeake shares rebounded nearly 5% Monday to $15.52 per share, after The Wall Street Journal reported that billionaire investor and corporate raider Carl Ichon would disclose a sizeable investment in Chesapeake stock.
McClendon said that he believes Chesapeake holds assets that are worth between $50 billion and $60 billion.
"The question is when do we sell them and what's the right price?" he said. "The buyers are very large and there are a large number of them."
Chesapeake, the second-largest natural gas producer in the United States, is shifting its focus from a dry gas supplier and stepping up its exploration for liquids-rich gas in places such as the Utica shale in eastern Ohio.
Dry gas prices stand at 10-year lows and have forced Chesapeake and other companies to pull up rigs and drill in areas where more profitable wet gas such as butane, ethane and propane can be harvested.
Chesapeake is the largest single leaseholder in the Utica with 1.3 million acres under contract and is aggressively exploring Columbiana and Carroll counties in Ohio.
"We've got a lot of running room," McClendon said. "We've got a lot of things planned in June, we've got things planned in the third quarter and we'll just play it on out."
Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
"It takes money to make money, and that's the case here," McClendon told investors and analysts during a conference call Monday.
The $3 billion loan would help repay money Chesapeake borrowed on its revolving line of credit, McClendon said. The injection of new capital would also allow the company to finish asset transactions scheduled for this year.
"We now have substantially enhanced our liquidity, and that will ensure that we can conduct our asset monetization transactions from a position of strength," McClendon said.
Chesapeake is looking to sell between $9.5 billion and $11 billion worth of assets this year. Some of that money would be used to pay off the $3 billion loan.
"Those transactions remain on track," McClendon said, dispelling rumors that a potential sale of the company's positions in the Permian and Mississippi line basins were in jeopardy. The company expects to complete those transactions sometime during the third quarter.
On Friday, Chesapeake's stock dropped 14% after the company filed a report that cautioned of a possible delay in asset sales. The company did put on hold a $1 billion volumetric production payment, or VPP, in the Eagle Ford shale in Texas, in which Chesapeake sells production of a well in advance to investors.
McClendon is at the center of a storm of shareholder criticism in the wake of reports that detailed perks granted to the CEO through a well participation program that allowed him to invest up to 2.5% in each well the company drilled. McClendon used his stakes in these wells to secure more than $1 billion in personal loans.
Chesapeake shares rebounded nearly 5% Monday to $15.52 per share, after The Wall Street Journal reported that billionaire investor and corporate raider Carl Ichon would disclose a sizeable investment in Chesapeake stock.
McClendon said that he believes Chesapeake holds assets that are worth between $50 billion and $60 billion.
"The question is when do we sell them and what's the right price?" he said. "The buyers are very large and there are a large number of them."
Chesapeake, the second-largest natural gas producer in the United States, is shifting its focus from a dry gas supplier and stepping up its exploration for liquids-rich gas in places such as the Utica shale in eastern Ohio.
Dry gas prices stand at 10-year lows and have forced Chesapeake and other companies to pull up rigs and drill in areas where more profitable wet gas such as butane, ethane and propane can be harvested.
Chesapeake is the largest single leaseholder in the Utica with 1.3 million acres under contract and is aggressively exploring Columbiana and Carroll counties in Ohio.
"We've got a lot of running room," McClendon said. "We've got a lot of things planned in June, we've got things planned in the third quarter and we'll just play it on out."
Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
Ellsworth, Ohio -
Monday, May 14, 2012
ELLSWORTH Township, Ohio – Heavy dump trucks arrive every five minutes or so;
about lunchtime, they’re lined up five-deep, waiting to deposit their limestone
loads where Consol Energy is building its first shale well pad in Mahoning
County.
It’s the first day of the trucks traveling back and forth from the limestone quarries in Petersburg to the Hendricks farm off Western Reserve Road here. A guard at the gate checks each truck in and out as men from a sign-making company work off to one side of the gravel-road entrance, posting identifying signs and preparing safety warnings they’ll hang 2,000 feet from the entrance, where the well pad is being built.
“This stone is coming right here from the good old USA,” says one of the truck drivers with a wide, satisfied grin.
“This is my fifth load today,” says another. “I’ll probably bring three more.”
Consol received a drilling permit for the Hendricks well in November from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The company dug a six-million gallon pond at the site – but construction of the well pad did not begin until last week, one day after Consol held an open house, inviting neighbors and elected officials to an informal Q&A session at the Holiday Inn Boardman.
It’s the first day of the trucks traveling back and forth from the limestone quarries in Petersburg to the Hendricks farm off Western Reserve Road here. A guard at the gate checks each truck in and out as men from a sign-making company work off to one side of the gravel-road entrance, posting identifying signs and preparing safety warnings they’ll hang 2,000 feet from the entrance, where the well pad is being built.
“This stone is coming right here from the good old USA,” says one of the truck drivers with a wide, satisfied grin.
“This is my fifth load today,” says another. “I’ll probably bring three more.”
Consol received a drilling permit for the Hendricks well in November from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The company dug a six-million gallon pond at the site – but construction of the well pad did not begin until last week, one day after Consol held an open house, inviting neighbors and elected officials to an informal Q&A session at the Holiday Inn Boardman.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Strategy Sessions, Local: Jefferson, OH
Dear Neighbors:
Here is an opportunity to learn how to become more organized in our attempts to inform our communities about the negative and dangerous effects of fracking.
There will be a strategy session at the Jefferson Community Center, 11 East Jefferson Street, Jefferson, Ohio 44047 from 6 - 9 PM on Wednesday, May 16th. I know this is short notice so I hope you can attend.
The attached message from Danny Berchenko has a link for you to use to sign up for the Jefferson meeting and obtain more information.
Gail Larson
Friends,
The fracking industry is fanning out across the state, buying up leases and applying for more permits to drill. But everywhere they go, citizens and grassroots groups are mobilizing to stop them.
In May, I’ll be leading strategy sessions in communities resisting fracking across the state to help build and strengthen the statewide movement against fracking in Ohio.
These sessions will include discussions on the impacts of fracking in our state, training on how to design strategic actions that move local campaigns forward, and we’ll talk more about our plans for the largest action against fracking in our country’s history to take place in Columbus this June 17th
These strategy sessions will be great opportunities for us to come together as a movement and gain new action organizing skills in the fight to stop fracking in Ohio.
Here is the schedule of the strategy sessions in May:
May 12th—Cincinnati, OH (2-5pm)
May 13th—Athens, OH (2-5pm)
May 14th—Youngstown, OH (6-9pm)
May 15th—Canton, OH (6-9pm)
May 16th—Ashtabula, OH (6-9pm)
May 17th—Cleveland, OH (6-9pm)
May 18th—Mansfield, OH (6-9pm)
May 19th—Oberlin, OH (2-5pm)
May 20th—Columbus, OH (2-5pm)
Sign up here for the session nearest to you, and we’ll send you updates on pertinent details such as specific venue locations, directions, parking, agenda, and more.
I hope to see you next month, and in action this Summer,
--Danny
Don't Frack Ohio is a project of 350.org Action Fund, in collaboration with Ohio's grassroots anti-fracking movement. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for email alerts.
Click here to learn the science behind 350
Here is an opportunity to learn how to become more organized in our attempts to inform our communities about the negative and dangerous effects of fracking.
There will be a strategy session at the Jefferson Community Center, 11 East Jefferson Street, Jefferson, Ohio 44047 from 6 - 9 PM on Wednesday, May 16th. I know this is short notice so I hope you can attend.
The attached message from Danny Berchenko has a link for you to use to sign up for the Jefferson meeting and obtain more information.
Gail Larson
Friends,
The fracking industry is fanning out across the state, buying up leases and applying for more permits to drill. But everywhere they go, citizens and grassroots groups are mobilizing to stop them.
In May, I’ll be leading strategy sessions in communities resisting fracking across the state to help build and strengthen the statewide movement against fracking in Ohio.
These sessions will include discussions on the impacts of fracking in our state, training on how to design strategic actions that move local campaigns forward, and we’ll talk more about our plans for the largest action against fracking in our country’s history to take place in Columbus this June 17th
These strategy sessions will be great opportunities for us to come together as a movement and gain new action organizing skills in the fight to stop fracking in Ohio.
Here is the schedule of the strategy sessions in May:
May 12th—Cincinnati, OH (2-5pm)
May 13th—Athens, OH (2-5pm)
May 14th—Youngstown, OH (6-9pm)
May 15th—Canton, OH (6-9pm)
May 16th—Ashtabula, OH (6-9pm)
May 17th—Cleveland, OH (6-9pm)
May 18th—Mansfield, OH (6-9pm)
May 19th—Oberlin, OH (2-5pm)
May 20th—Columbus, OH (2-5pm)
Sign up here for the session nearest to you, and we’ll send you updates on pertinent details such as specific venue locations, directions, parking, agenda, and more.
I hope to see you next month, and in action this Summer,
--Danny
Don't Frack Ohio is a project of 350.org Action Fund, in collaboration with Ohio's grassroots anti-fracking movement. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for email alerts.
Click here to learn the science behind 350
An important message / action from Ohio Citizen Action. Please consider
An important message / action from Ohio Citizen Action. Please consider
writing a quick note to your Legislators.
Governor Kasich's new idea: Leave Ohio wide-open for fracking
Ohio Governor John Kasich's energy plan promotes new, risky forms of gas and
oil drilling. To advance this energy plan, Kasich has written bills to leave
Ohio's health and safety regulations wide open. Governor Kasich wants the
bills passed by June 30, so legislators can leave Columbus to run for
reelection.
Kasich's bill S.B. 315 would make it easier for oil and gas drillers from
Texas and Oklahoma to use the notorious practice of "fracking," a
combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, in our state.
Fracking involves high-pressure injection of toxic chemicals underground to
get oil and gas out of the rock. No one knows the long term effects of this
new form of drilling.
The right to know
People living near a fracking well have the right to know how much of which
chemicals the drillers are using. That's the only way they'll know if there
is a danger of contaminating the drinking water supply.
We are denied our right to know in the current version of S.B 315. As it is,
oil and gas drillers would only have to tell the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources, not citizens, the chemical class of the chemicals they're using,
which could be one of hundreds of chemicals in that class.
Drillers could wait up to 60 days after the well is completed to do that.
Citizens need to know what chemicals are used in the process before a well
is drilled so that drillers can be held responsible for contamination
instead of acting like it wasn't their fault.
Emergency responders, like firefighters, wouldn't be told exactly what
chemicals are onsite until they are literally on their way to an emergency.
Firefighters need to know what chemicals are used at a site before they get
there, because some require special measures to clean up. Fracking fluid is
known to include benzene, formaldehyde, sulfuric acid, lead, and diesel. We
need to know the rest of the chemicals too.
The right to say "no"
In 2004, the Ohio legislature gave "sole and exclusive authority of all
aspects of oil and gas drilling and production" to the Department. This
means that local municipalities don't get to decide if and how drilling
happens in their communities.
Then, in 2010, the legislature authorized "mandatory pooling," in which
landowners could be forced to let drillers use their land even if they
objected to it. The law doesn't specify a limit on how much land is needed
for a driller to request a mandatory pooling order, so it's up to the chief
of the Division of Mineral Resources Management, a part of the Department of
Natural Resources, to decide at their discretion how much land can be taken
without permission.
Communities should have "home rule" that allows us to prevent drilling in
our communities if we don't want it. S.B. 315 currently makes no mention of
restoring home-rule.
Please write your local legislators and Senate President Thomas Niehaus:
You can find who your local legislators are at
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/
Please take a minute to write a letter to your local legislators and Senate
President Thomas Niehaus. Tell them Kasich's plan is too reckless:
* Ohio should have a right-to-know law so that the drilling companies have
to tell the public what chemicals they are using in fracking, and in what
amounts
* Local communities should have the right to say "no," the right to decide
if and how any drilling takes place in their neighborhoods.
Your local Senator is ______________1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH
43215
Your local Representative is _______________ 77 South High Street Columbus,
OH 43215
Senate President Niehaus' address is 1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor, Columbus,
OH 43215
Questions? Contact Nathan Rutz 614 W Superior Ave # 1200, Cleveland, OH
44113 nrutz@ohiocitizen.org 216-861-5200
writing a quick note to your Legislators.
Governor Kasich's new idea: Leave Ohio wide-open for fracking
Ohio Governor John Kasich's energy plan promotes new, risky forms of gas and
oil drilling. To advance this energy plan, Kasich has written bills to leave
Ohio's health and safety regulations wide open. Governor Kasich wants the
bills passed by June 30, so legislators can leave Columbus to run for
reelection.
Kasich's bill S.B. 315 would make it easier for oil and gas drillers from
Texas and Oklahoma to use the notorious practice of "fracking," a
combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, in our state.
Fracking involves high-pressure injection of toxic chemicals underground to
get oil and gas out of the rock. No one knows the long term effects of this
new form of drilling.
The right to know
People living near a fracking well have the right to know how much of which
chemicals the drillers are using. That's the only way they'll know if there
is a danger of contaminating the drinking water supply.
We are denied our right to know in the current version of S.B 315. As it is,
oil and gas drillers would only have to tell the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources, not citizens, the chemical class of the chemicals they're using,
which could be one of hundreds of chemicals in that class.
Drillers could wait up to 60 days after the well is completed to do that.
Citizens need to know what chemicals are used in the process before a well
is drilled so that drillers can be held responsible for contamination
instead of acting like it wasn't their fault.
Emergency responders, like firefighters, wouldn't be told exactly what
chemicals are onsite until they are literally on their way to an emergency.
Firefighters need to know what chemicals are used at a site before they get
there, because some require special measures to clean up. Fracking fluid is
known to include benzene, formaldehyde, sulfuric acid, lead, and diesel. We
need to know the rest of the chemicals too.
The right to say "no"
In 2004, the Ohio legislature gave "sole and exclusive authority of all
aspects of oil and gas drilling and production" to the Department. This
means that local municipalities don't get to decide if and how drilling
happens in their communities.
Then, in 2010, the legislature authorized "mandatory pooling," in which
landowners could be forced to let drillers use their land even if they
objected to it. The law doesn't specify a limit on how much land is needed
for a driller to request a mandatory pooling order, so it's up to the chief
of the Division of Mineral Resources Management, a part of the Department of
Natural Resources, to decide at their discretion how much land can be taken
without permission.
Communities should have "home rule" that allows us to prevent drilling in
our communities if we don't want it. S.B. 315 currently makes no mention of
restoring home-rule.
Please write your local legislators and Senate President Thomas Niehaus:
You can find who your local legislators are at
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/
Please take a minute to write a letter to your local legislators and Senate
President Thomas Niehaus. Tell them Kasich's plan is too reckless:
* Ohio should have a right-to-know law so that the drilling companies have
to tell the public what chemicals they are using in fracking, and in what
amounts
* Local communities should have the right to say "no," the right to decide
if and how any drilling takes place in their neighborhoods.
Your local Senator is ______________1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH
43215
Your local Representative is _______________ 77 South High Street Columbus,
OH 43215
Senate President Niehaus' address is 1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor, Columbus,
OH 43215
Questions? Contact Nathan Rutz 614 W Superior Ave # 1200, Cleveland, OH
44113 nrutz@ohiocitizen.org 216-861-5200
Informational Meeting on Fracking, Geauga County
Just want to let everyone know that the United Church of Christ in
Chesterland at the corner of Wilson Mills and Caves Rd. will be having an
informational meeting about Fracking on Sunday May 20th 2012 at 11:15 AM.
Speakers include Rev. Jim Deming (who spoke at our rally)and some folks
who have experienced problems with Conventional wells that were Fracked in
the Bedford,OH area. Light refreshments will be served.
Thank you to Catherine Whitright for the invitation.
Have a great day!
Kathy
Chesterland at the corner of Wilson Mills and Caves Rd. will be having an
informational meeting about Fracking on Sunday May 20th 2012 at 11:15 AM.
Speakers include Rev. Jim Deming (who spoke at our rally)and some folks
who have experienced problems with Conventional wells that were Fracked in
the Bedford,OH area. Light refreshments will be served.
Thank you to Catherine Whitright for the invitation.
Have a great day!
Kathy
Friday, May 4, 2012
Exploration Well in Rome/Rock Creek Area, Ashtabula County
Good Morning Neighbors:
One of our friends alerted us to the issuance of permit to Chesapeake for an exploration well on February 27, 2012. Yesterday that well was set up and the work has begun effective May 3, 2012. The site sits beside a farm that sells eggs and has beef cows. There is a small stream adjacent to the well site. How safe is your water?
One of our friends alerted us to the issuance of permit to Chesapeake for an exploration well on February 27, 2012. Yesterday that well was set up and the work has begun effective May 3, 2012. The site sits beside a farm that sells eggs and has beef cows. There is a small stream adjacent to the well site. How safe is your water?
 |
| Rt 45 and Ketchum Road Rome, OH |
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Chesapeake at a glance.
Chesapeake is the largest leaseholder in the Utica play, controlling about
1.3 million acres.
The company currently operates 10 rigs in the Utica fields and plans to average 13 rigs in 2012 and 22 rigs in 2013, according to its release, with its initial development focus the wet gas window.
“Chesapeake has drilled a total of 59 wells in the play, of which nine are currently producing, 15 are currently being completed, 15 are waiting on completion and 20 are waiting on pipeline infrastructure,” the company said.
“Three notable recent wells completed by Chesapeake in the Utica are as follows:
• The Shaw 5H in Carroll County achieved a peak rate of 770 bbls of oil, 180 bbls of NGL and 2.9 mmcf of natural gas per day, or approximately 1,440 boe per day;
• The Burgett 8H in Carroll County achieved a peak rate of 720 bbls of oil, 140 bbls of NGL and 2.1 mmcf of natural gas per day, or approximately 1,210 boe per day; and
• The Coniglio 6H in Carroll County, in a limited flow test before being shut-in to wait on a pipeline connection achieved a peak rate of 290 bbls of oil and 5.0 mmcf of wet natural gas per day, or approximately 1,125 boe per day at the end of the test.
“The company has a significant number of wells planned for the Utica oil window during the remainder of 2012 and is confident that it will have strong results based on its successful results in the oilier portion of the wet gas window, preliminary results from oil window testing and the results of certain of its competitors in the oil window.”
Chesapeake reported 2011 well production results April 2 to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The report consisted of five producing wells and four wells that have yet to come online but have extracted oil through brine water, a byproduct of the hydraulic fracturing process.
Information taken from The Business Journal, Youngstown, OH
The company currently operates 10 rigs in the Utica fields and plans to average 13 rigs in 2012 and 22 rigs in 2013, according to its release, with its initial development focus the wet gas window.
“Chesapeake has drilled a total of 59 wells in the play, of which nine are currently producing, 15 are currently being completed, 15 are waiting on completion and 20 are waiting on pipeline infrastructure,” the company said.
“Three notable recent wells completed by Chesapeake in the Utica are as follows:
• The Shaw 5H in Carroll County achieved a peak rate of 770 bbls of oil, 180 bbls of NGL and 2.9 mmcf of natural gas per day, or approximately 1,440 boe per day;
• The Burgett 8H in Carroll County achieved a peak rate of 720 bbls of oil, 140 bbls of NGL and 2.1 mmcf of natural gas per day, or approximately 1,210 boe per day; and
• The Coniglio 6H in Carroll County, in a limited flow test before being shut-in to wait on a pipeline connection achieved a peak rate of 290 bbls of oil and 5.0 mmcf of wet natural gas per day, or approximately 1,125 boe per day at the end of the test.
“The company has a significant number of wells planned for the Utica oil window during the remainder of 2012 and is confident that it will have strong results based on its successful results in the oilier portion of the wet gas window, preliminary results from oil window testing and the results of certain of its competitors in the oil window.”
Chesapeake reported 2011 well production results April 2 to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The report consisted of five producing wells and four wells that have yet to come online but have extracted oil through brine water, a byproduct of the hydraulic fracturing process.
Information taken from The Business Journal, Youngstown, OH
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