Ohio Farm Bureau Landowner's Meetings for Frac Leasing Information

The Ohio Farm Bureau (OFB) has three landowner's leasing information meetings coming up from March 13-16, 2012.

1. The meeting on the 13th will be held from 7pm until 9pm in New Philadelphia, Ohio at the First Christian Church, located at 104 Third Street NW.
2. The landowner's meeting on the 14th will be held from 7pm until 9pm, at the Jr. Fair Building located on the County Fairgrounds at 13800 West Poe Road in Bowling Green, OH.
3. The third meeting will be held on the 16th from 11:30am until 1:30pm at Romer's Catering & Entertainment, located at 118 East Main Street in Greenville, OH.

The OFB frequently holds landowner's meetings to share information about land leasing. If you need more information about the events listed above or would like to see if you can find a meeting closer to your area of Ohio by waiting until a later date, visit the Farm Bureau's site by clicking here.

Ohio's New Fracking Regulations

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has announced a new set of rules for hydraulic fracturing (frac) disposal, spurred in part by the recent decision and announcement that fracking brine injection at waste water disposal sites caused a series of earthquakes near Youngstown, Ohio.

According to the ODNR, the new rules are among the toughest brine dumping rules in the nation. The new rules apply to new injection well sites as well as existing waste water injection sites.

A Brief Summary of Ohio's New Brine Injection Rules

• No new wells will be permitted to be drilled into the Precambrian basement rock formation.
• Existing wells going into the Precambrian basement rock formation will have to be capped with cement - or more accurately - the ODNR will have the authority to require their capping.
• Operators (drillers) will be required to submit extensive geological data before drilling under the new rules.
• The new regulations require up to date, effective pressure and volume monitoring devices; to include automatic shut-off switches and electronic data recorders.
• Under the new rules, brine haulers will be required to install electronic transponders, thereby ensuring “cradle to grave” monitoring of all shipments.

The full report is available on the ODNR website.

Report Describes Fracking as Source of New Global Water Crisis

Food & Water Watch, citing current US examples, urges countries around the world to enact national bans on fracking. They also ask countries to aggressively invest in deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies to help avert a global water crisis and to protect citizens.

To visit the Food & Water Watch site and learn more about their studies, click here or do an Internet search for Food & Water Watch.

Fracking Brine and Niagara Falls

While not Ohio-centric, I was surprised to learn that the Niagara Falls had considered accepting fracking brine. The board opted to pass on the "frackertunity" based on the fact that they have already experiences Love Canal and don't want to revisit the experience.

The city recently banned storing and transporting waste-water, in a sense blocking frac truck's access to the Niagara Falls Water Board.

Council Chairman Sam Fruscione recently provided an excellent quote in a Wall Street Journal/Associated Press article, "We're not selling out future generations of our children for corporate greed." Kudos Mr. Fruscione, for looking out for your constituents.

Tuesday March 6, 2012 is Election Day

Just a friendly reminder to registered voters that the polls are oprn today. If you're a registered voter, take a few moments to cast your ballot.

Sorry this post wasn't frac-related, but remember, some candidates are fracking-friendly while others are working, not to stop the progress, but to make sure the practice moves forward safely and in an environmentally-friendlymanner.

Does it Really Have to Be a Choice Between Jobs and Safe Drinking Water????

This post is just to share a link to a Bloomberg article about the controversy of job creation versus safe water in Ohio's fracking debate.

Image of men working courtesy of Duboix and MorgueFile.

Water or Jobs?

Ohio Fracking Foes Push Water Safety, Republicans Tout Jobs discusses the contaminated water from fracked wells, earthquakes, and also cited numbers for potential jobs from fracking ranging from 65,800 up to 200,000 jobs.

So, you're here, interested enough to read this blog.

• What do you think?
• Is it really just a choice between safe drinking water and jobs?
• Is there more to consider?
• Why can't we have both jobs and safe environmental practices?
• What questions do you have?

Feel free to respond in the comments section below, or pop over to the forum and say whatever you feel like saying about this practice. Even if you are pro-fracking, your right to express your opinions will be considered and respected, so if anyone wants to say anything here, now is your chance.

Dryden, New York Wins Court Ruling Against Fracking

A small town in New York, Dryden, recently won a court order banning fracking. In simplest terms, the court upheld the town's right to enforce their zoning ordinance.

Image of goose and river courtesy of seriousfun and MorgueFile.

The More the Merrier?

According to a report on Discovery News, a number of other New York towns have been waiting to see how Dryden fared in the courts, and can be expected to proceed with similar suits to block hydraulic fracturing in their towns as well.

As expected, environmentalists view this as a victory while oil company representatives simply plan to go to a higher court in the hope of having the ruling overturned.

What can this mean for Ohioans?

Ohio towns fighting to ban fracking in order to protect residents, such as Mansfield or rural communities that have zoning ordinances in place, can potentially build upon the legal precedent created by this case, assuming of course, the ruling is upheld as it moves to a higher court.